Alejandro Zapata, deputy director of the country’s Policia Nacional, said he was not in a position to name names.

4

4

4

But he said investigators were “clear about people who could be linked” to Saturday’s abduction of Luis Manuel Diaz and Cilenis Marulanda in their home town of Barrancas.

Mr Zapata confirmed investigators were treating the kidnap as a “premeditated crime” which had been meticulously planned.

He added: “When something like this happens, it is generally not spontaneous and there has been previous planning, people that draw people to a certain place, that is, who place them somewhere so that others arrive and that’s what we are investigating.”

He also spoke about the possibility that Luis Manuel was smuggled into Venezuela following the rescue of the Liverpool striker’s mum just hours after the abduction.

Mr Zapata said: “What we know is that the kidnap occurred in La Guajira and it’s close to the border of course.

“We don’t have any evidence at the moment indicating he has been taken across the border, we can’t say that’s what’s happened, but we can’t rule it out either.

“It’s very possible his captors look to the possibility of fleeing to Venezuela.”

Appearing to support the idea the gang who have Luis Manuel are in hiding and have not managed to cross into Venezuela, Mr Zapata’s boss William Rene Salamanca Ramirez told Colombian media: “I can’t give any information on that and I want to be very prudent.

“I myself flew over an area you’d cross in and they would have to cross the Perija Mountains and I don’t think a human being could survive that.

“We were trying to put some commando units into that area and we couldn’t because of the dense jungle vegetation.

“An army blockade has been in place in the lower part of the mountains which would be the normal route into Venezuela.”

Colombia’s Attorney General Francisco Barbosa had confirmed earlier it was possible the winger’s dad could already be across the border.

He said Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro would be asked to help free Luis Diaz’s dad if it emerged that was the case.

A reward of up to £40,000 has been offered by the authorities for information.

A man described as the best friend of Luis Manuel Diaz told a Colombian radio station the footballer’s dad and his wife had been heading to the home of a relative of Cilenis.

Victor Medina said: “It was 5.30pm local time on Saturday. They had filled up with petrol and then went to a neighbourhood nearby to collect something from a relative of Celinis.

“There the captors arrived, four men on motorbikes.

“They threatened them with weapons, made them get into the same vehicle and sped off with the other two on a motorbike tailing them.

“They headed for a rural area. The authorities were informed and there was a chase.”

Luis’ mum has yet to speak publicly about her ordeal.

She was abandoned by her captors by the roadside as the hunt to catch them intensified.

The men holding the footballer’s father are said to have fled with him on motorbikes.

4