Dutch police have shot one of the Netherlands’ most notorious criminals, Frans Meijer, one of the kidnappers that adducted beer magnate Freddy Heineken for a £15 million ransom in 1983.

Meijer, 66, was gunned down by a motorcycle cop in Amsterdam on Monday morning after fleeing with another man when he was challenged by police in the city’s Staatslieden neighborhood.

He was taken to hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, where he remains under guard. The second man, his son according to unconfirmed reports, was arrested. The pair are suspected of planning a robbery in the district and Meijer was reported to be carrying a firearm.

The motorbike officer, who was responding to call from a member of the public about the men acting suspiciously, was forced to shoot Meijer, police told the De Telegraaf newspaper.

Meijer is one of the most infamous members of the Dutch underworld. He kidnapped Freddy Heineken, one of the richest men in the Netherlands, and his driver Ab Doderer in 1983 with four accomplices.

The £15.7 million ransom was the largest ever paid to kidnappers at the time. £3.1 million was never recovered. Meijer claimed he burnt his share on a beach after finding God.