Former rugby league star Jamal Idris has been the victim of a kidnapping attempt in Vietnam.
The 25-year-old, who is currently without an NRL club, was on a Contiki tour in Ho Chi Minh City when he became separated from his group.
According to a Channel Seven report, he then encountered a group of violent kidnappers who attacked him and tried to extort money from him.
Idris escaped and, distressed, immediately contacted his family, who informed federal authorities.
Idris’ mother, Alana, contacted Contiki on Facebook on Saturday fearing for the safety of her son.
“It’s a matter of life and death … can’t stress the importance of this message,” she wrote.
The travel organisation later reported back to Alana, saying it had located Idris and confirmed his safety.
The former Penrith centre is on an indefinite break from the game after being granted a release from the Panthers last November on compassionate grounds.
He has played 131 first grade games in stints at Canterbury, Gold Coast and then Penrith.
He has also played one State of Origin game for NSW and one Test for Australia.
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Poor bugger - hope he's OK. It reminds me of the time I was in Halong Bay, after a trip to China, and jumped in a taxi to have a feed and drink. 20 minutes later we ended up going across a unknown bridge (which reminded me of the Anzac Bridge in Sydney) and down into another town. I was dropped in front of two big buildings that turned out to be strip clubs, rather than a bar which I requested. I walked across the road to a typical Vietnamese style restaurant and sat outside sipping a beer and waiting for a menu. Within a few minutes I was approached by a group of 10 tattooed men. I finished the rest of my beer and said "Garn Bay" which is the Chinese pronunciation for cheers or scull, and got up to leave. This bought a huge round of laughter from the group and the leader of their gang who spoke a little English insisted on me staying and drinking with them. My polite refusal was not accepted. The beers began to flow. Twenty "Garn Bays" later the leader insisted that he wanted my t-shirt as a souvenir, and tried to exchange his singlet for it. I insisted that my only use for his singlet would be as a head-band, and being several sizes too small I would have to spend the rest of the night shirtless. Not a good look for a foreigner at night, and something the cops would easily detain you for. I insisted on paying for the beers and attempted to leave again, but the leader opened his wallet which contained a massive wad of notes and refused point blank. This had confirmed my initial thoughts that they were pimps, drug dealers or both, and the odds that the night would end poorly for me now rose exponentially. I remained calm and as likable as I could throughout the encounter. This helped big time when I again tried to leave without handing my t-shirt over. I think the gang had grown to genuinely like me. I made the promise of posting my t-shirt and wrote down a delivery address. The relief at getting out of there and into a cab in one piece was overwhelming, and I can't think of another occasion where I'd drunk so much alcohol yet felt sober. The adrenaline had really kicked in and done its job.
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
I honestly thought this was going to say he kidnapped someone. What a low opinion i must have in my sub conscious to think that