The aunt of Colombian soccer defender Cristian Zapata, employed by Italian side AC Milan, was rescued Wednesday after having been kidnapped the night before.
According to local media, the soccer star’s aunt was kidnapped Tuesday evening from a rural area south of Colombia’s third largest city, Cali.
Cali police commander Francisco Patiño told local newspaper El Pais that Zapata’s aunt Limania was kidnapped from the family’s native Padilla municipality by unidentified armed men.
By Wednesday morning, local authorities had begun a search for the soccer players aunt on the border of the Valle del Cauca and Cauca department, an area infamous for guerrilla and drug trafficking activity.
Later in the afternoon, police authorities were able to rescue the 36-year-old victim.
The Milan defender is from the municipality where his aunt was kidnapped. Before playing for European clubs like Milan, Udinense and Villareal he played for Deportivo Cali.