A London-based businessman has gone missing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and his family believes he has been abducted by kidnappers connected to the local authorities.

Alsadig Abdallah, 26, the vice-president of Curzon Place, a recruitment company based in Mayfair, disappeared two months ago after arriving in Dubai for a business meeting. He was detained by police on arrival in Dubai and held for two days. He was then freed but immediately disappeared.

His family fears that people linked to the UAE police may have kidnapped him. Senior police officials claimed to have no knowledge of his case. “We have no idea about his case. We don't really have time to be looking for him right now,” said Major Fawaz Khalil Bedran, of the Abu Dhabi Police.

Mr Abdallah lives in London with his wife and son. He is best known in Khartoum as a racehorse owner and the local agent for Philips, the Dutch electronics company.

He has made more than a dozen telephone calls to his family since he went missing, the last one received one month ago. His family now fears he may be dead. He made it clear during his conversations that he was being held against his will by a group of men.

One text message, sent to his sister from his Blackberry, said: “No way to talk, but I am ousted/kidnapped. Somewhere, I don't know but you have to go police and start looking for me everywhere. Use your contacts.” The telephone calls and text messages have been traced to Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi is a bustling hub of tourism and trade, one of seven states that make up the United Arab Emirates. Millions of foreigners travel through the region every year.

The UAE is keen to establish itself as a safe haven for Westerners to do business in the emerging markets of the Middle East.

Officials here bristle at the family's suggestion the state was involved with their son's disappearance. In interviews with The Times, several top-ranking officials in the Ministry of Interior emphasized Abu Dhabi's low crime rate and strict laws. “This is an extremely rare case for us to deal with. It is very unusual, the first of its kind in Abu Dhabi,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Hamad Khamis Al Dhaheri.

The Attorney-General's office in Abu Dhabi transferred Mr Abdullah's case to the police last week. However, in interviews with The Times, the police claimed to be unaware of the case.

Siddig Elhaj, Mr Abdallah's father and one of Sudan's leading businessmen, said that he feared his son had been abducted because of a business dispute with two local policemen, who claim that he owes them about £70,000 to build a brick factory. Mr Elhaj denies entering into any deal with the two men. “I suspect these policemen are responsible,” Mr Elhaj told The Times. “They trapped my son to get at me. They are trying to extort money from me through my son.”

Allegations surrounding the unpaid debt resulted in the Attorney-General's office issuing arrest warrants for Mr Elhaj and his son last summer. When Mr Abdullah entered Dubai on September 23 he was arrested. He was released two days later and the arrest warrant revoked by the Attorney-General, after a meeting with the family's legal team.

The last time Mr Elhaj spoke to his son was in October. He said that he had the impression his son was not able to speak freely. At one point an unidentified man came on the line to assure Mr Elhaj that his son would not be harmed.

Mr Elhaj said that if a criminal investigation was not launched he would seek the help of Scotland Yard. He has also posted a reward of 500,000 UAE dirhams (£66,000) for information leading to the safe return of his son.

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