Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The chairman of the board of Uzbekistan’s Anorbank, 48-year-old Kahramonjon Olimov, has been kidnapped in France.

According to the French newspaper Le Monde, the incident took place on 23 June in central Paris. The businessman was lured out of his hotel under false pretenses, forcibly taken out of the city, and held for nearly two days in the basement of a private residence near Nice. The kidnappers demanded a ransom and released the hostage after receiving part of the agreed amount.

Olimov had arrived in Paris on 22 June to attend a series of business meetings focused on the development of Uzbekistan’s banking sector and energy projects. The next day, he was led out of his hotel by a woman claiming to be an employee of a beauty salon. He was then taken to a secluded house, where he was subjected to beatings and threats of violence.

After his release, Olimov sought medical assistance for physical injuries and symptoms of severe emotional trauma. French police have launched a criminal investigation into the case as an organized abduction. One suspect has already been detained, and the investigation is ongoing.