An entrepreneur was kidnapped in Mykolaiv, electrocuted, and extorted for a non-existent debt of $360,000 — the prosecutor's office has notified two men of suspicion and is insisting on detention without the right to bail, UNN reports with reference to the Office of the Prosecutor General.
An entrepreneur from Odesa was kidnapped right from a parking lot, held for several days, beaten, strangled, and tortured with electric shocks, with the captors demanding $360,000. He was released after part of the money was handed over. Currently, the man is in serious condition. Prosecutors of the Chornomorsk District Prosecutor's Office have notified two residents of Odesa, aged 30 and 44, of suspicion of kidnapping and extortion committed by a group using violence (Part 3 of Art. 146, Part 4 of Art. 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
Details
According to the investigation, the attackers did not act alone. Having learned through acquaintances about an entrepreneur who trades in grain and is temporarily living in Mykolaiv, they traveled to the city in a "Mercedes Sprinter."
In the morning, in the center of Mykolaiv, the man was tracked at a parking lot.
They then acted under the guise of an official arrest, shouting "SBU is working." The attackers knocked the 44-year-old man to the ground, kicked him, and forcibly pushed him into a minibus. There, they put him in handcuffs and placed a mask over his head, depriving him of the ability to orient himself. For the first 24 hours, he was held in an unknown location in Mykolaiv.
He was then transported to a house in the Odesa district, where he was held for another day. They took his phone and strangled him with a rope until he lost consciousness.
Throughout this time, they demanded a non-existent debt of $360,000 from him. When the man refused, the torture began.
The victim was beaten with rubber batons, subjected to electric shocks, had his head squeezed with metal vices, and was strangled with a rope until he lost consciousness. In addition, they jumped on his body while he was bound with duct tape and unable to resist.
Under this pressure, the man agreed to comply with the demands. His wife handed over $152,000 to the attackers. After this, the hostage was released, and he turned to the district prosecutor's office.
According to preliminary information, the victim sustained serious bodily injuries, including bone fractures in both arms. He is currently in a hospital in serious condition.
The issue of additional qualification of the crime under Art. 127 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (torture) is being decided.
As reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General, during searches at the suspects' residences, carbines, a rifle, nearly 800 rounds of ammunition, as well as ID cards of members of various public organizations and fictitious license plates were discovered and seized.
Law enforcement agencies are working to identify all persons involved in the crimes and the torture of the entrepreneur.
The prosecutor's office has petitioned the court to remand the two suspects in custody without the right to bail.
Measures to expose the individuals were carried out with the operational support of the Odesa Department of the Internal Security Department of the National Police of Ukraine. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the territorial police unit.