In the Leningrad Region, a suspect was detained in the kidnapping of a 22-year-old man for a ransom of 15 million rubles

Kidnapping and rescue

In the Leningrad Region, a 47-year-old man has been detained on suspicion of kidnapping a 22-year-old acquaintance for a ransom of 15 million rubles. According to the investigation, from November 6 to 8, in the Kuyvozovskoye rural settlement of the Vsevolozhsk District, he threatened the victim with an object resembling a Makarov pistol, handcuffed him, restricted his movement, and took him to a forest area, where he demanded money for his release. This was reported by the regional Investigative Committee (SU SKR). The victim managed to phone a relative and tell her what had happened, and she contacted the police. A criminal case has been opened for kidnapping for mercenary motives, and a motion to remand the suspect in custody has been sent to court; the circumstances and motives are being established.

Details according to Mash na Moyke

The Telegram channel Mash na Moyke gives different details: according to the channel, the victim is the son of a businesswoman, and the perpetrator scattered spikes on the road the young man usually drove along, waited for the car to stop, and at gunpoint led him into the forest. The young man was hidden in an old water tower, and when the kidnapper was away, he was handcuffed to a tree. The mother found her son's abandoned car on the roadside and then received a kidnapping message demanding a ransom of 15 million rubles. Police officers with dog handlers found the young man in the forest near the settlement of Lesnoye and freed him; the suspect was detained there, and pistols with silencers, ammunition, handcuffs, and a pepper spray canister were seized from him. The official SU SKR statement does not include these details, and the sources' accounts of where the victim was held differ: the investigation says a forest area, while the channel says a water tower.

Context

Gazeta.Ru cites similar recent cases in both articles: in the Moscow Region, a group kidnapped a man, took him to the Caucasus, and tried to gain access to his phone to make him transfer $7,600, also demanding $6,000 and 70,000 rubles while claiming readiness to bribe officials; a case has been opened against five people. In addition, in St. Petersburg, six men were detained who, according to the investigation, forced an acquaintance to transfer cryptocurrency worth 5.5 million rubles. The outlet mentions these cases as context, not as part of the Vsevolozhsk District case.