4 nabbed in Rome for kidnapping kid

(ANSA) - Rome, April 22 - Four people were arrested in Rome Friday on suspicion of kidnapping a 9-year-old boy to force his mother to return a drug shipment worth some 5,000 euros, police said. The boy was freed by police after 48 hours. Police arrested a man, 25, with a long criminal record, his 30-year-old sister, his 54-year-old mother and another 25-year-old woman who allegedly made her house available for the kidnapping. The arrested are accused of kidnapping for extortion, aggravated by the youth of the victim. The leader of the gang was identified as Marco Ricci, the sister as Francesca Ricci, the mother as Palma Codemi and the house owner as Sonia Cataldi. The boy's identity will remain a secret because of Italian legal rules.