The suspects “extorted” 2.5 thousand US dollars from the victim – the maximum punishment they face is imprisonment for a term of up to twelve years with confiscation of property.
According to law enforcement officers, on January 10, around 8:00 p.m., at one of the gas stations near Lviv, attackers ambushed a man, threatened him with a weapon, beat him, forced him into his Mazda car and drove him in an unknown direction.
After a short chase, operatives of the Criminal Investigation Department together with patrol policemen stopped the perpetrators’ car, freed the victim and detained the attackers in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. Investigators and forensic specialists of the Lviv Oblast police also worked at the scene.
The detainees have been identified as a 19-year-old resident of Lviv District, a 27-year-old resident of Stryi District, and two Lviv residents aged 16 and 18.
The identity of the victim of the attackers – a 26-year-old resident of Yavorivskyi district – has also been established. The attackers demanded that he return a non-existent debt in the amount of 2.5 thousand US dollars, and if the man refused, they threatened him with physical violence.
An object similar to a pneumatic pistol was also seized from the perpetrators, which was sent for examination to the Scientific and Research Expert and Forensic Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
The investigators informed the detainees about the suspicion of committing crimes provided for in part 2 of article 146 (Illegal deprivation of liberty or kidnapping of a person) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and part 4 of article 189 (Extortion) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The maximum punishment provided by the sanctions of the articles is imprisonment for a term of up to twelve years with confiscation of property.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing, and soon the court will choose precautionary measures for the suspects.
Communications Department of the Lviv Oblast Police