FBI Portland is investigating an alleged kidnapping where the suspect posed as a fake police officer and law enforcement say he was arrested in Reno and is in custody in Washoe County.
"She alleges she was kidnapped, shackled, sexually assaulted and locked in this makeshift cell," said Stephanie Shark, Assistant Special Agent for FBI Portland.
A woman claims she was first kidnapped in Seattle, before being taken to Klamath Falls, Oregon and held in a cinder block makeshift cell.
The makeshift cell had one lightbulb and was installed in reverse so the door couldn't be unlocked from the inside.
Notes were also found in the suspects home saying, "You don't want any type of investigation" and a diagram of a planned 100-foot hole.
The suspect is identified as 29-year-old Negasi Zuberi.
Zuberi also goes by other aliases such as Sakima Zuberi, Justin Kouassi, and Justin Joshua Hyche.
He is being charged with one count of interstate kidnapping.
The FBI is concerned there are more victims in other states as Zuberi has lived in ten states in ten years.
The FBI believes Zuberi is linked to four sexual assault cases in four states, but he is not charged in those cases as of this time.
According to court documents, on July 15, Zuberi solicited the victim into prostitution in Seattle.
After the encounter, Zuberi posed as an undercover cop, pointed a taser at her then he handcuffed the victim and put her in the back seat of his car.
After some time, the victim was wondering why the trip was taking so long and Zuberi said they were going to a substation.
Once she looked at the GPS on Zuberi's phone that was when she knew he was not a police officer.
Investigators then say, the suspect drove over 450 miles to his home in Klamath falls.
Klamath Falls police say the victim was locked in a makeshift cinder block room in Zuberi's garage.
They say after a few hours the victim punched her way out of the cell, grabbed a gun from Zuberi's car and flagged down someone on the road to call 911 before she was transported to a hospital.
The FBI says the victim's bravery saved a lot of lives.
"The victim's focus, actions and her will to survive triggered a law enforcement response that may have actually saved many other women from a similar nightmare," Shark said.
On July 16, two Nevada State Police troopers found Zuberi in a Walmart parking lot in South Reno.
Zuberi was holding his child in the car and his wife was outside talking to him.
During the standoff Zuberi got a knife and cut himself.
After 45 minutes, Zuberi was arrested, and the child was unharmed.
The FBI says that despite how frightening these accusations are, they believe it's just the tip of the iceberg.
"A lot of times we'll get a case and think it is what it is on its face and the more we look into this case the more we can become more concerned as law enforcement that there may be more of what we're missing and so that's why right now we're still at the infancy stage of this investigation," Shark said.
If you or someone you know has any more information on other potential victims or information, the FBI is strongly encouraging for you to call the line 1-800-CALLFBI or go online by clicking here.
The US Marshal Services are working on transferring Zuberi from Reno to Oregon.
We'll make sure to keep you updated with the latest developments in the case moving forward.
