A Sri Lankan tourist died fleeing kidnappers in Malaysia while a friend escaped and another was rescued by police, the force said on Tuesday.

 

The three had just arrived on holiday and to sell gemstones worth 40,000 ringgit $US12,736 ($A14,278) when they were abducted last week at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, district police chief Abdul Rahim Abdullah said.

 

“The three were trying to get a cheap ride to the city but were instead led into a van and kidnapped by four people and taken to a flat in the suburbs,” he told AFP.

 

“The men were held for ransom and one of them managed to escape their captors on Sunday morning but one died in the escape bid,” he said.

 

Mohammad Mihilar, 32, the tourist who escaped, told the New Straits Times he and his two friends, whom he identified as Samsudeen and Sarifdeen, were tortured during the three-day ordeal to get family details so that a ransom could be demanded.

 

“We were beaten and tortured for three days and were not given any food or water for refusing to give them the contact details of our families in Sri Lanka,” he told the paper.

 

“They used masks as they assaulted us with iron rods, water hose and hot iron,” Mohammad said.

 

He said the kidnappers took the gemstones and demanded a $US35,000 ($A39,240) ransom from their captives’ families.

 

“As I was heading to the toilet, I turned around and kicked the kidnapper before running out of the flat. I ran up to the rooftop of the flat and jumped off to escape,” he added.

 

Mohammad broke a leg in the fall but said Samsudeen, who had jumped out of an open window, fell to his death.

 

Mohammad raised the alarm and police rescued Sarifdeen, who was found handcuffed in the flat.

 

“We have arrested two persons and one is believed to be a volunteer in the reserve police and we are on the lookout for two others believed to be involved in the kidnapping,” Abdul Rahim said.

 

“Police are still investigating the case but we do not believe the kidnappers were part of any syndicate operating at the airport as it appears to be an opportunistic crime.”

^AFP