NEWS

Arrests over kidnappings

Four Pakistanis have been arrested in Athens and several more are wanted on suspicion of abducting and torturing two of their countrymen to force their families to pay ransom, police said yesterday. In the first of the two separate incidents, a 46-year-old Pakistani man was allegedly kidnapped in Aspropyrgos, west of Athens, on March 2 and was kept locked up in an apartment in Nikaia, near Piraeus, for five days. According to officers, the victim said he was subjected to electroshock torture, as the abductors demanded that his family pay 18,000 euros to secure his release. The 46-year-old was let go after his relatives paid 1,000 euros but he went straight to the police. Officers arrested a 29- and 32-year-old and are looking for five more suspects. Also, a 28-year-old Pakistani was kidnapped in Ilion, western Athens. The abductors met the victim’s friends in Peristeri for the handover of a 3,000-euro ransom. Instead, the 28-year-old’s friends snatched one of the suspects, aged 18, and handed him over to police. A 23-year-old was arrested soon afterward. A 28-year-old is being sought.

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