BOGOTA, March 14 (UPI) -- A policeman in Colombia who was kidnapped after exposing a male prostitution ring inside the police department was able to escape from capture on Monday.
National Police Director Jorge Hernando Nieto confirmed that Capt. Ányelo Palacio escaped his captors at about 1 a.m. Monday and is now at a police medical clinic, El Tiempo reports. Hernando Nieto said police are still searching for the alleged kidnappers and don't know their motives.
Palacio was abducted Saturday night by four men on two motorscooters as he drove on a highway between the cities of Cucuta and Pamplona. An anti-kidnapping team was sent to Cucuta.
Palacio became publicly known after declaring himself a victim of a male-to-male sexual abuse and prostitution network inside the police department known as "The Community of the Ring." He said that he and other cadets were forced, under threat, to have sexual relations with higher officials, while other officials set up prostitution schedules.
The scandal led to the resignation of Gen. Rodolfo Palomino, former director general of Colombia's National Police, days after Colombia's attorney general launched a formal investigation into the accusations.
