Gangs of torturers and blackmailers in custody

A success story for the Greek police yesterday, when an organized crime gang was arrested. The gang abducted fellow immigrants, tortured them and then asked for ransom.

In an impeccably organized operation by police in apartments on Zinonos Street, they discovered the «headquarters» of the gang, a prison for their victims, and 14 immigrants were arrested, 10 of which are Afghani citizens and 4 from Pakistan, aged between 16 and 31.

The case was revealed Sunday morning, after an official complaint from an immigrant that members of a gang are holding his brother for ransom.

The officers found the flats where this had been occurring and discreetly ran surveillance for hours until they were certain there were illegal activities occurring in them. As soon as members of the gang exited the block of flats and entered a car, the police stopped them and found out that one of the passengers was a victim of abduction and the gang had been asking for 12,000 euro for his release. With a district attorney present, they searched the flats and arrested everyone.

According to the police, the members of the gang had very specific roles for planned out; some of them carried out abductions, others guarded and tortured the abductees and others collected the ransom.

The police confiscated 2 cars, 20 mobile phones, 305 euros and receipts from money transfers. One of the victims had been “branded” with several cigarette burns in his hands and legs; a medical examiner will be checking his injuries as he testified that he had been tortured with these burns.