Police forces have finally found a Bahraini student who was abducted in Malaysia 18 days ago.

A city-wide search for 20-year-old Ali Ahmed Al Nashaba was underway by the Royal Malaysian Police after he was snatched by three men on January 28 from Linton University in Kuala Lumpur, where he studies electrical engineering.

The Gulf Daily News had reported last week that his relatives paid the BD3,000 ($7915) ransom demanded by the abductors.

Ali's brother Fathi told the GDN last night that the police immediately took Ali to hospital for check-up.

"We received a call from Malaysian police confirming they found Ali, but they didn't allow us to speak to him, as they took him to hospital for check-up," he said.

"They told us that Ali is fine and we are happy to know he is okay. It was late in Malaysia so we didn't insist on speaking to Ali."

The search was conducted in co-ordination with the Bahraini Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry.

Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa personally called the father to give him the news about his son's release.

Public Security chief Major-General Tariq Al Hassan also called the father and informed him that Al Nashaba would return today with the delegation.

Ali's parents were initially given 24 hours to pay 20,000 Malaysian ringgit (around BD2,260) to his abductors or they threatened to chop his fingers off, but the ransom demand was later increased to BD3,000. The Interior Ministry thanked the Malaysian government for its co-operation.-TradeArabia News Service