New Zealand Athlete Claims He Was Kidnapped by Police in Rio

— -- A New Zealand athlete claims that he was kidnapped by police at gunpoint in Rio.

Jason Lee, a New Zealand national jiu-jitsu champion, said he was pulled over by two armed police officers, who told him they were doing a routine search for drugs and weapons.

"First he asked me to stretch my arms, then patted me down. He grabbed my genital area, which was quite a surprise,” Lee told New Zealand website Stuff, where his girlfriend Laura McQuillan works.

Lee said police officers also searched his car. He was then notified that he could not drive in Brazil without carrying his passport, according to Lee.

Police said Lee would be arrested if he didn’t pay 2000 Brazilian Reais (around $610), according to Stuff.

But he didn’t have enough cash so the police forced him into one of the officer's cars, Lee explained.

"At this point I acknowledged to myself that I've completely backed myself into a corner,” Lee told Stuff.

After Lee withdrew the cash and gave the police the money, he was released.

“You can't say anything to anyone about this, not a word,” the police said, according to Lee, but he told Stuff that he reported it to the Tourist Police the same night.

Requests for comment to police were not immediately returned.