10.55am
A man at the centre of a kidnapping scare on the Waikato west coast village of Taharoa yesterday is also wanted by police.
Detective Senior Sergeant Glenn Dunbier said today 26-year-old Michael Bryers had been worried for the past few weeks about the possibility he was going to be kidnapped.
About 6am yesterday he had run from the house he was staying at, telling his partner he was about to be kidnapped.
"This is how the matter was reported to the police, but there is no confirmation as yet, that he actually was kidnapped by anybody," Mr Dunbier said.
Mr Bryers was wanted by police for failing to appear at court, and had been avoiding contact with police for some time.
"As a result it is possible that he has not been taken against his will, but is hiding from those he suspects wish to kidnap him, as well as the police," he said.
The priority for police was to establish where Mr Bryers was and ensure his safety and wellbeing.
Police also wanted to talk to two caucasian men seen in the Taharoa and Kawhia area in the past week.
They told locals they were fossil hunting, Mr Dunbier said.
They had been driving a white campervan and police wanted to be able to rule them out of the inquiry.
"It appears that their presence in the area has aroused the suspicions of this tight-knit community, and may have contributed to Michael's belief that he was a target for kidnapping."
Detectives working on the case, Operation Iron, want anyone knowing where Mr Bryers is to phone the Te Awamutu police on 0-7-871 5037.
- NZPA
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