They demanded $1 million for a kidnapped businessman: a group of criminals detained in Odesa

Law enforcement officers detained a criminal group in Odesa: they are suspected of kidnapping an entrepreneur and extorting USD 1 million from him. This is reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General, according to UNN.

Details

The investigation established that the crime was organized by a 46-year-old resident of Vinnytsia. Three accomplices aged 28–33 joined him— a foreign national, a resident of Odesa, and a resident of Mykolaiv region.

According to the OPG, the suspects were engaged in farming and grain trading together with the victim. After financial difficulties arose, they claimed that the entrepreneur allegedly owed them money and began demanding payment.

In early October 2026, the man was invited to an office in Odesa. There, the organizer beat him, threatened him with a knife, fired a pistol in the direction of his legs, and later struck him on the head with the butt of the weapon. The other group members prevented the victim from escaping and threatened to harm him and his relatives. For the next two weeks, the suspects controlled the man's movements, took turns staying at his house, accompanied him to and from work, and forced him to re-register his property

In addition, the entrepreneur was taken to Mykolaiv and later to Kyiv, where, under pressure, he issued a power of attorney authorizing the disposal of an apartment. They also demanded that he re-register his mother's house.

All four are charged with unlawful deprivation of liberty and extortion (Part 2 of Article 146 and Part 4 of Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). At the prosecutors' request, the organizer and two of his accomplices were remanded in custody without the right to bail

To remind you

Law enforcement agencies detained criminals in Kyiv who kidnapped a former serviceman and held him for almost a week at a "rehabilitation center." Four individuals are suspected of this crime.