A man arrested at a Chino Hills shopping center is accused of kidnapping a woman from Greensboro, North Carolina last month and forcing her to travel across the country committing fraud.
Deputies responded just before 2:45 p.m. to check on people loitering in front of Sephora at The Shoppes at Chino Hills, 13920 City Center Dr., and detained two people who had several fraudulent IDs, social security cards and debit cards, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
After talking with one of the people, a 51-year-old North Carolina woman, authorities learned that Rahson Govantes kidnapped her in September and forced her to travel across the country to commit fraud in order to “pay debts she owed,” the department said in a news release.
The 28-year-old from New York and an unidentified woman allegedly tortured the victim, burning her with cigarettes and a curling iron, the department said.
Govantes was arrested and booked on suspicion of torture, kidnapping, aggravated mayhem and assault with a deadly weapon. The Sheriff’s Department didn’t specify what debts the victim allegedly owed and said Govantes and the victim didn’t have a relationship prior to the kidnapping.
Authorities are still searching for the unidentified woman and also others who may be victims in the case. The Sheriff’s Department asks anyone with information to contact Chino Hills police at 909-364-2000 or leave an anonymous tip at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463).
