Turkish citizen kidnapped by gangs in Serbia: They demanded a 150 thousand euro ransom

The Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor's Office has shared details regarding the interrogation of 7 suspects who kidnapped a Turkish citizen and demanded a 150 thousand euro ransom. The suspects were captured in a police operation 5 days after the kidnapping, which took place on February 3. The suspects, two of whom are Syrian and five of whom are Serbian nationals, denied all charges at the prosecutor's office.

In a statement released by the prosecutor's office, it was stated that the suspects waited for the Turkish citizen, identified as M.S., in front of his home in Surcin on February 3, attacked him, forced him into a vehicle, and took him to a house in the city of Novi Sad. The next day, the suspects called M.S.'s brother, A.S., and demanded a 150 thousand euro ransom. A.S. was told that he needed to pay this money to see his brother alive.

The suspects supported their ransom demand with voice and text messages sent via WhatsApp. M.S. was rescued on February 8 in an operation conducted by the Serbian police in Novi Sad. During the operation, 7 suspects were taken into custody. The prosecutor's office requested that the suspects be tried while in detention due to the risk of influencing witnesses and repeating the crime. Additionally, it was requested that arrest warrants be issued and search orders be published for 2 other individuals connected to the incident.

The statement from the prosecutor's office noted the following:

''There is reasonable suspicion that the suspects acted as a group to forcibly detain M.S. on February 3, that the purpose of this act was to obtain a 150 thousand euro ransom from M.S.'s brother S.A., and that they threatened A.S. that they would kill his brother... The suspects followed M.S. on February 3, waited for him in front of the building where he lived in Surcin in the evening, attacked him, struck his body multiple times, and forcibly put him into a 'Citroen' brand vehicle, taking him first to an unknown location near the city of Novi Pazar and then to a house in the city of Novi Sad''

According to reports in the Serbian press, it is alleged that the mastermind behind the kidnapping is a Syrian-born individual named Basil A.D. Under the Serbian Criminal Code, the suspects will be tried for kidnapping and face between 5 and 18 years in prison.

The prosecutor's office stated that there is evidence that the suspects beat and threatened M.S. It was also stated that the suspects used images of the victim to support their ransom demand. While the trial process for the suspects continues, the investigation has been expanded to cover the details of the kidnapping and the suspects' connections.

News Source: İHA