A 22-year-old Egyptian national kidnapped by five armed men on Tuesday night and beaten up in a Kypseli basement had owed 1,000 euros to a motorcycle salesman, police said after detaining the five suspects.

According to witnesses, the assailants grabbed the victim and bound his arms and legs before bundling him into a basement store in Kypseli where he is alleged to have been tortured. A resident tipped off police, saying he had seen the 22-year-old being kidnapped and beaten.

Officers rushed to the scene, rescued the migrant and arrested the suspects, seizing a gun, ammunition and brass knuckles.

Police said the abduction was carried out on behalf of a local store owner who had sold the migrant a motorcycle on credit but was still owed 1,000 euros. Officers said extortion with violence has increased during the financial crisis.