The wife of a Dublin postmaster was freed unharmed after an apparently failed attempt to secure a ransom yesterday.
The woman, believed to be in her 50s, was kidnapped from her home in Templeogue shortly before 9 a.m.
She was released more than two hours later in Harold's Cross.
It is believed that two men, one of them armed with a revolver, called to the woman's home and forced her into a car driven by a third member of the gang.
Her husband received a telephoned ransom demand shortly afterwards.
Gardaí launched a search operation involving the Emergency Response Unit and other specialised groups.
Road checkpoints were mounted and a helicopter was also deployed, before the woman was released, in the Casimir Road area of Harold's Cross.
A Garda spokesman said there was no indication that a ransom had been paid.
It is thought the kidnappers, who may have been monitoring Garda communications on a scanner, abandoned the ransom attempt as the search closed in.
An investigation into the incident immediately focused on an unspecified black car used by the kidnappers.
Gardaí appealed for information from members of the public who noticed a black car with three occupants in the Rossmore area of Templeogue, in Casimir Road, Harold's Cross, or in the Dolphin's Barn area of the city.
The garda leading the investigation, Chief Supt Noel Smith, said the kidnappers were all in their 20s and believed to be from Dublin.
Anybody with information is asked to call Terenure station on 01-6666480.
