Updated with arraignment details -

A terrorised and traumatised kidnap victim was rescued by the police from a Buġibba apartment late on Saturday night and her alleged abductors were taken to court on Monday morning.

The 50-year-old woman was snatched from her Msida home and a ransom was demanded from her son, who was told he would not see his mother again unless he paid up.

Two men and a woman – Libyan nationals Maher Elemetni, 43, Osama Ali Amosh, 36, and 22-year-old Caroline Debrincat, Elemetni’s partner – were remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to kidnapping charges.

The police were alerted to the suspected kidnapping by the woman’s son at around 7.00pm on Saturday.

He reported that he had been contacted by a Libyan man and threatened. He allegedly owed one of the suspect kidnappers about €4,000, the court heard.

The report sparked a joint operation by police from the major crimes unit, the Msida district station and the rapid intervention unit.

Within three hours or so, they managed to track down the two men in Sliema and apprehended them.

Minutes later, they traced the victim to an apartment in Buġibba where she was allegedly being held against her will by Debrincat, who was also arrested.

The woman, traumatised by the hours-long ordeal but unhurt, needed medical treatment for shock.

In a statement, the police said she was under the care of the police force’s victim support unit.

Lawyer Noel Bianco, assisting Ali Amosh, requested bail, arguing that his client had a family to support.

But the court, presided over by magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, turned down the request, pointing out that the victim, a vulnerable person, had been terrorised and was lucky to have survived the ordeal.

Elemetni’s lawyer, Joe Brincat, did not request bail.

Debrincat, arraigned separately to the two men, cried throughout the hearing. Her lawyer, George Anton Buttigieg, contested the charges, saying that she had merely obeyed orders.

As the woman was remanded in custody, she kicked up a commotion and hurled insults at the prosecution, calling them “liars and rubbish”, before being escorted out of the courtroom.

Inspectors John Spiteri, Stephen Giulia and Jessica Bezzina prosecuted.