The Mossos d'Esquadra arrested on April 9 four men for kidnapping and seriously assaulting a man in Alt Empordà.
The victim filed a complaint on February 3 and stated to have been held against her will on a farm in Cabanes, Girona between December 8 and 9. She was allegedly intimidated and violently assaulted by individuals between 24 and 62 years old with the aim of forcing her to pay an economic ransom of 60,000 euros.
Subsequently, the kidnapped man was transferred to another property located in France, near the border with Belgium, until his family paid part of the ransom. The victim was released a few days later with the commitment to pay the outstanding amount. After his release, the victim continued to receive constant threatening calls through different telephone lines demanding the remaining agreed-upon money.
Thanks to police investigation and international cooperation, agents identified the alleged perpetrators, most of them established in France but with monthly trips to Catalonia. The police operation culminated on April 9 with the arrest of the four men in Figueres, Girona and Cabanes, Girona in a highly complex operation. The Special Intervention Group (GEI) and the Regional Area of Operational Resources (ARRO) participated in the operation. The agents carried out a search and seizure at the agricultural farm where the victim was initially held and assaulted, seizing various items related to the events.
The detainees, some with previous convictions for crimes against public health in Spain and their countries of origin, were brought before the court on duty in Figueres, Girona. The investigation remains open and further arrests are not ruled out.