Five kidnappers convicted of kidnapping in Odessa
In Odessa, five members of an organized group were found guilty of kidnapping and extortion and sentenced to 8 to 10 years in prison. This was reported by the Prosecutor General's Office and the National Police.
As the pre-trial investigation established, in March 2021, an organized group kidnapped the 20-year-old son of local businessmen in Odessa.
The boy was transported to Kyiv and kept tied up in a rented apartment, demanding a ransom of $1 million from his parents.
To force the family to comply with their demands, the criminals recorded a threatening video, holding a gun to the young man's head and forcing him to beg for help.
The relatives turned to the police for help. Within a few days, the kidnappers were arrested and the victim was released. They were in custody awaiting the court's verdict.
The members of the organized group, including natives of Ukraine and Transcaucasia, were found guilty of unlawful deprivation of liberty, kidnapping, and extortion (Part 3 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 28, Part 3 of Article 146, Part 4 of Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The court sentenced three participants to 10 years in prison, and two others to eight years in prison with confiscation of property.
- On June 14, 2022, it was reported that an indictment was filed with the court against two citizens of the People's Republic of China who tried to take babies from Ukraine to Romania.
