In Poland, law enforcement officers detained four Ukrainians for kidnapping and torturing migrants

In Poland, law enforcement officers detained four Ukrainians for kidnapping and torturing migrants

In Poland, law enforcement officers uncovered and arrested a group suspected of kidnapping migrants from Mali and Ethiopia. The perpetrators tortured the kidnapped individuals and demanded ransom for them.

This information was reported on Wednesday, July 2, by the Polish police. The Polish broadcaster RMF24, citing its own sources, claims that law enforcement officers arrested four Ukrainian citizens. The oldest arrested woman is 40 years old, and the youngest perpetrator is 20.

As reported by law enforcement, in mid-June, the Central Bureau of Investigation of the police received a letter from one of the public organizations. The message stated that a group of people held two kidnapped Ethiopian citizens in Poland. The kidnappers demanded ransom in cryptocurrency and threatened to kill the captives and sell their organs if the ransom was not paid. The message also included photos of bound naked men.

"According to reports, the kidnappers used force and threats with weapons. They took the victims’ money and phones, ordered them to undress, bound them, and transported them in a trunk. The family of one of the kidnapped was informed of the need to pay a ransom," stated the Polish police.

On June 14, the kidnapped Ethiopian citizens managed to escape captivity. A random passerby near the city of Lublin noticed the naked men and called the police and medical assistance. Thanks to the victims’ testimonies, the police were able to identify the perpetrators, though by that time they had already managed to leave for Latvia. There, they kidnapped three more citizens of Mali and employed torture on them as well.

"The men were bound and locked in a trunk. One of the victims was tied to a tree and brutally beaten with a wooden stick. A video of the torture was sent to the family along with a ransom demand," reported the Polish law enforcement.

On June 25, the perpetrators returned to Poland. Three of them were detained on a highway in the city of Ostrów Mazowiecka, and another in the town of Skwierzyna. The detainees were found with firearms, balaclavas, adhesive tapes, and mobile phones, including those belonging to the victims.

The detainees were charged with participating in an organized crime group, kidnapping for ransom, and organizing illegal border crossings to Poland. Currently, the court has chosen a preventive measure for three suspects - custody.

It is noted that the perpetrators were detained with the assistance of law enforcement officers from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.