Gardaí at Swords are investigating an incident in which a boy (16) was allegedly bundled into a car and assaulted before being released.
The boy and his friends became involved in a row with another group of youths over damage to a car at Beaverstown Road in Donabate at 5.30am.
The victim was forced into the boot of a silver Volkswagen Passat, which drove off in the direction of Donabate village.
The boy’s family were reportedly contacted and a ransom was demanded. It is understood no money was handed over.
The youth escaped from the car in Clondalkin at about 9.00am and made his way to the M50. He used an emergency phone on the side of the motorway to contact gardaí.
He was taken to Beaumont hospital where he was treated for head injuries before being released several hours later.
“This is not a typical abduction,” said a Garda source. “It appears to have been spontaneous rather than premeditated. It seems there was damage allegedly done to one of the group’s car and there was a row about who would pay for it.”
Gardaí later arrested a 19-year-old man in the Clondalkin area and recovered the car believed to have been used in the incident.
The man is being questioned at Swords Garda station under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.