An American man who is accused of kidnapping a woman and holding her in a breeze block cell that she escaped from by punching her way out had been on law enforcement’s radar and is now suspected in other sexual assaults.
The woman was kidnapped from Seattle, chained, and driven to a home in Klamath Falls, Oregon, according to the FBI. Negasi Zuberi, 29, is now behind bars in Nevada, waiting to be extradited to Oregon, where he is charged in federal court with interstate kidnapping and transporting an individual across state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
A search of Zuberi’s rental home and garage turned up the woman’s purse and handwritten notes, according to investigators. One was labelled “Operation Take Over” and included entries that read, “Leave phone at home” and “Make sure they don’t have a bunch of ppl (sic) in their life. You don’t want any type of investigation.”
Another handwritten document appeared to include a rough sketch for an underground structure using concrete blocks, foam insulation and waterproof concrete.
The FBI said Zuberi may have used other methods of gaining control of women, including drugging their drinks. The agency suspects him in sexual assaults in at least four more states that it did not name and said it set up a website asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim to come forward.
Before moving to Klamath Falls, a city of some 22,000 people, a few months ago, Zuberi lived in Vancouver, Washington, where court records show the landlord sought to evict him.
Landlord Abishek Kandar said in a text message that Zuberi didn’t pay rent for six months, illegally sublet the home, bred puppies, damaged the property and threatened neighbours.
“He is a horrible person,” Kandar said. “He deserves to be in jail.”
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Zuberi lived in numerous states. According to court records, a man with one of Zuberi’s alleged aliases, Justin Kouassi, was accused of punching a person in the face in Denver last year. An arrest warrant was issued for Kouassi’, court records show, but Denver police do not have any record of Zuberi or anyone with one of his aliases being arrested.
In the Seattle kidnapping, Zuberi posed as an undercover police officer when he kidnapped the woman, the FBI said on Wednesday.
“This woman was kidnapped, chained, sexually assaulted, and locked in a cinderblock cell,” Stephanie Shark, the assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Portland field office, said.
“Police say she beat the door with her hands until they were bloody in order to break free. Her quick thinking and will to survive may have saved other women from a similar nightmare.”
After the woman escaped, Zuberi fled but was arrested by state police in Reno, Nevada, the next afternoon, the FBI said. Zuberi could face up to life in prison if convicted of the federal charges in Oregon.
According to the FBI, Zuberi also went by the names Sakima, Justin Hyche and Justin Kouassi.
