On January 31 in the Greek city Ioannina, a 59-year-old Greek was kidnapped by eight individuals, a Greek and seven Albanian, because of disputes between them, authorities said. The man was released on March 27 in Attica, without paying ransom.
The case was solved and four of the perpetrators were arrested, police officials said. They said that the perpetrators and the victim were involved in a case concerning 200 kilos of cannabis.
The 59-year-old was allegedly responsible for finding the transporter who would carry the load from Greece to Germany. He introduced them to a Roma and they paid him €40,000. The Roma did not transport the drug load but instead kept it for himself, it was alleged.
The perpetrators considered the 59-year-old responsible for this and abducted him. They asked the victim’s family for a ransom of €125,000 threatening their lives. Twenty days later they reduced the ransom amount to €50,000.
At the end of February the 59-year-old’s wife received a postal envelope that contained a mutilated finger, as well as a paper in which the phrase, “You must understand this is not a joke” was written in Albanian.
The kidnappers were said to have cut off three fingers off the victim’s hands and tortured him for two months. He said they cut his back with knives and needles and then poured salt and hot water on the wounds. Four more suspects are being sought.
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