A man who was abducted from near his home in The Hague has escaped after being held hostage for 10 days in Belgium.

Lakshan Navaradnam disappeared soon after leaving his home in Wateringse Veld on Sunday, November 26. Police suspected he had been abducted after his car was found abandoned nearby the following day.

Police said he was in good health and a joint investigation with Belgian police into the abduction was under way.

His family raised the alarm when he failed to return home or respond to phone messages. In the afternoon his brother, Nixshan, was sent a video showing Lakshan blindfolded and tied to a chair, with a message about money.

Het Parool quoted sources saying he was snatched in connection with a stolen consignment of drugs, but his family insisted he was not involved in narcotics smuggling. He graduated from Erasmus University in Rotterdam in 2021 and owns a business in the drinks sector.

“My brother has no enemies and had not argued with anybody just before the abduction,” Nixshan told Omroep West before his brother’s escape. “I’m sure this is a case of mistaken identity.”