In a remarkable turn of events, Steven Maito, the 41-year-old businessman violently abducted from his Zwartbontstraat residence on Thursday evening, has been located alive and in secure condition. The victim had endured hours of uncertainty after being seized by four armed and masked assailants in a meticulously planned operation.
Police authorities have officially confirmed Maito’s safe recovery while expressing gratitude to all parties who contributed to determining his whereabouts. Investigators have maintained strict confidentiality regarding the precise circumstances of his discovery, citing the ongoing nature of the criminal investigation.
The breakthrough in the case emerged Saturday when law enforcement located the victim’s stolen Toyota Vigo pickup truck abandoned in a remote wooded area near Zanderij. The vehicle has been impounded for comprehensive forensic analysis, with investigators describing this development as highly significant to understanding the violent abduction’s mechanics.
According to the detailed statement provided by the victim’s wife, the traumatic incident unfolded approximately at 10:00 PM Thursday. She reported awakening to the sound of her husband’s vehicle, only to witness four masked figures dressed in black overpowering him on their property. The perpetrators were allegedly armed with handguns and potentially other heavy weaponry.
Security footage from neighborhood cameras captured the chilling sequence of events: the assailants emerging from adjacent woodland, subduing the victim, and forcibly departing in his own vehicle toward the Santigronweg under threat of lethal force.