In a shocking turn of events, former Australia cricketer Stuart MacGill was kidnapped and held for ransom by a group of people in the New South Wales’ capital Sydney. The local police confirmed in a statement that the ex-Australian Test cricketer was abducted at gunpoint and taken to a property at Bringelly in Sydney’s southwest.
According to the authorities, the 50-year-old was assaulted and threatened before being released around an hour later. The incident took place on April 14 but was reported two days later.
“About 8 pm on Wednesday, April 14 2021, a 50-year-old man was allegedly confronted by a 46-year-old man (in) Cremorne,” New South Wales (NSW) Police said in a statement.
“A short time later, the pair were approached by two other men, forcing the older man into a vehicle. He was then driven to a property at Bringelly, where the two men, plus another unknown man, allegedly assaulted the 50-year-old man and threatened him with a firearm. About an hour later, the man was driven to the Belmore area and released,” the statement added.
Police said they have arrested four men in dawn raids concerning the kidnapping of MacGill on Wednesday.
“Following extensive investigations, strike force detectives, with assistance from Raptor Squad and the Public Order and Riot Squad, arrested four men – aged 27, 29, 42 and 46 – from 6 am today (Wednesday, May 5 2021),” said NSW police.
The investigation further revealed that one of the four accused is the brother of MacGill’s restaurant owner girlfriend, Marino Sotiropoulos.
Sotiropoulos is the sibling of Maria O’Meagher, who is currently in a relationship with the ex-Aussie Test star.
The acting detective superintendent of the Police Robbery and Serious Crime Squad stated the motive behind kidnapping was purely financial.
“We believe the motive was purely financial, to obtain money from him. They are a criminal gang; it was a targeted kidnapping with the motivation to take money from him with no ransom,” police said in a presser.
MacGill played 44 Tests and three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for Australia, picking up 208 and 6 wickets, respectively. The leg-spinner could’ve been a legendary bowler if not born in the era of Shane Warne.
MacGill hung his boots in 2008 before making a comeback to competitive cricket in the inaugural 2011 Big Bash League (BBL) season, representing Sydney Sixers at the age of 40.
