Melchers on a picture released by the ANP

Claudia Melchers (born 1968) is the Dutch head of a cooking company called CMC Catering. She is also a very well-known bridge-player, just like the chef de cuisine of her company. Image File history File links Claudiamelchers. ... Image File history File links Claudiamelchers. ... The Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANP) was founded on December 11 1934 by the association of Dutch newspapers NDP. The news agency’s founders sought to produce a fast, fair and accurate alternative to the exisiting commercial news agencies. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game of skill for four players, usually sitting around a table, who form two partnerships, or sides. The partners on each side sit opposite one another. ... Cooks in training in Paris Chef is a term commonly used to refer to an individual who cooks professionally. ...

On September 12, 2005, a group of three armed South-American men broke into her home in Amsterdam, tied her and packed her into a plastic crate, and then forced her into a waiting vehicle. The intruders also bound and gagged a male neighbor present at the time, but left her two children unharmed. The children freed the neighbor shortly before police arrived. September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... World map showing South America A satellite composite image of South America South America is a continent situated in the western hemisphere and, mostly, southern hemisphere, bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean; North America and the Caribbean Sea... Amsterdam Location Flag Country Netherlands Province North Holland Population 742,951(1 January 2005) Coordinates Website www. ...

The abductors took Melchers to a bungalowpark in the eastern part of the Netherlands. She was held captive in one of the bungalows. After the case got so much media attention, Melchers was dropped off unharmed at the Arnhem train station within 48 hours. No reason was given for her release, and it is unclear whether a ransom was paid. Arnhem is a municipality and a city in the east of the Netherlands, located on the Lower Rhine, and the capital of the Gelderland province. ...

The abductors reportedly demanded 660 pounds of cocaine. After the release of this fact, several Dutch Radio- and Television stations declared that the reason for the kidnapping was an error with a drug deal, and that the abductors were in quick need of cocaine. The stations claimed that they got their information from the police. The above mentioned media also speculated that Melchers' family is involved in the drug scene. Melchers' father - Hans Melchers - denied any of these connections and announced that he is going to sue several newspapers and television programs that launched this rumor.

Hans Melchers is also the 36th richest person of The Netherlands. The estimation of his wealth is 460 million euro. He is also the founder of Melchemie, a chemical company that delivered fosforxychloride to the regime of Saddam Hussein in 1984. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic ), born April 28, 1937 , was the President of Iraq from 1979 until he lost power over Iraq when American troops arrived in Baghdad on April 9, 2003. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Similar cases in the Netherlands

Other famous kidnaps in the Netherlands which look like the Claudia Melchers case are:

• Valerie Albada Jelgersma (1987)
• Hans van de Kimmenade (1999)
• Reinier Terwindt (2003)

Hans van de Kimmenade (born Joannes Rafaël Maria on 15 October 1980 in Nijmegen, Netherlands) is from the Dutch Van de Kimmenade family. ...

External link

• (Dutch) CMC Catering homepage