An American woman invited her family to her wedding celebrations in Guadalajara, Mexico, and ended up being kidnapped by her disapproving family.
The woman from the United States was kidnapped for R9.2 million to marry another man.
It was alleged that the father, mother and brothers conspired to kidnap the woman with plans to force her to marry someone else in Yemen. This was revealed in an ongoing case against her father, Khaled, and her brother, Walled.
In a statement released by the Department of Justice (DoJ), the unnamed victim was remanded in Yemen “under the supervision of two of her brothers”.
According to the DoJ, the victim was manipulated by her family to travel back to the United States where her father tricked her and promised her that he would support her marriage to her fiancé if she left Mexico.
The woman is said to have known her fiancé for nearly nine years.
It is alleged that her family forced her fiancé to pay R550,000 for their marriage. The victim eventually found out and intervened.
According to the reports, the father allegedly changed his mind and agreed with his daughter’s fiancé that he would support their union if he could host a party and the ceremony in the United States and she agreed.
When she got back to the States, she was locked in her family’s home and kept under constant supervision. She could not even go to the toilet in private. She was impersonated by a member of her family who went on to withdraw her from classes at the University of Buffalo.
Her social media accounts were also deleted, as her family planned to arrange a marriage to an undetermined man in Egypt or Yemen in exchange for R9.2 million. She was then forced to board a flight to Egypt.
“She would be locked up in her home without contact with the outside world forever and her fiancé, who her family disapproved of, would be killed,” the DoJ statement said.
Khaled and Waleed Abughanem, the woman’s father and brother, are currently in custody with kidnapping charges pending against them. A detention hearing for the pair was scheduled for 17 February but has been delayed until 2 March.
According to court documents, the woman is still being held in Yemen but is receiving support through an unnamed nonprofit organisation.
Compiled by Mashudu Mabila
