Kidnapping Victim Found Gagged in Motel; Six Arrested

A shaken Huntington Beach businessman was found safe but dehydrated in a Long Beach motel after being held for nearly two weeks by kidnappers, and six people have been arrested, Huntington Beach police said Sunday.

FBI agents and police discovered Sohiel B. Daliri, also known as Bernard Daliri, 37, tied to a bed, blindfolded and gagged with duct tape at Don’s Motel on Pacific Coast Highway on Saturday.

They said they found Daliri by following two suspects after a meeting with the victim’s girlfriend to discuss a ransom pickup, said Police Lt. William Stuart.

The victim suffered no outward injuries but was taken to a hospital for dehydration. Police, who said Daliri knew his kidnappers, also said they were surprised he had survived the ordeal.

“We had some police officers with 20 or more years of experience and these guys were stunned because they said it was like something that you see off the TV,” Stuart said. “He was bound ... and had tape over his eyes and mouth.”

Five men were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping for ransom, including Erick Velazquez, 20, of Rancho Santa Margarita, who police said was found inside the motel room with Daliri.

The other four were Brian D. Dumas, 28, of Huntington Beach; Esau Abrajan, 18, of Rancho Santa Margarita; Nasir B. Shamsi, 40, of Placentia; and Brian D. Good, 27, of Huntington Beach. They were taken to Huntington Beach Jail and being held on $250,000 bail each.

The sixth suspect, a juvenile, was arrested in Lakewood on suspicion of auto theft and hit-and-run while allegedly driving Daliri’s car six days after he was kidnapped.

Police gave a partial accounting of events and the arrests.

Daliri was abducted March 18 from a home he owned in Orange but did not live in. His girlfriend, whom police would not identify, reported him missing the next day.

Eight days after the abduction, the first two of the five adult suspects were arrested by Riverside County sheriff’s deputies while driving a truck rented with Daliri’s credit card. It was reported stolen after it was not returned on time.

Twelve days passed before kidnappers called the girlfriend, on Saturday, to arrange a meeting. At the meeting, at least one kidnapper told the girlfriend Daliri would be harmed if a ransom weren’t paid.

Police would only say the kidnappers wanted an amount in the range of $500 to $30,000.

After the meeting, police said, they tailed Good and another suspect, following them through Seal Beach and Huntington Beach and stopping at the Long Beach motel.

Police said they eventually arrested the pair at Good’s apartment in Huntington Beach, and returned to the motel later, where they found Daliri.

Police would not describe Daliri’s connection with the suspects.

“He was not selected as a target of this because he’s a multimillionaire or a prominent businessman or person. But he was selected because of a link with him and the suspects,” Stuart said.

Daliri owns two heating and air-conditioning shops, in Fullerton and Orange, and he sold a Huntington Beach gas station two years ago, according to records.