Man Abducted in Central Riga: Police Seek Charges Against 11 People

The State Police of Latvia on 8 October sent prosecutors a criminal case on banditry and abduction, recommending that criminal proceedings be brought against 11 people. The case concerns an organised criminal group that abducted a man in Riga on 25 March this year. Police foiled the plan, freed the victim and detained the abductors.

How the abduction unfolded

According to police, four gang members arrived at the victim's home in central Riga on 25 March. They abducted the man and put him in a car. Two of the criminals drove the victim away in their vehicle, while two accomplices drove off in a vehicle belonging to the victim.

Officers detained these four gang members and freed the abducted man. Police later detained three more accomplices. Several members of the group were already in prison, serving sentences for earlier crimes.

Other offences found during the investigation

Investigators gathered evidence of other crimes committed by the suspects: making threats, deliberately setting a vehicle on fire, and the illegal purchase and possession of narcotic substances, including on a large scale. Investigators also identified an offence linked to keeping unauthorised means of communication in a prison.

Police carried out a series of procedural actions, including searches, which produced important evidence. Police stressed that the gang was armed: its members had firearms and ammunition, and one of them had forged identity documents.

What happens next

The State Police merged the criminal proceedings it had launched earlier into a single investigation. Five people have been placed in pre-trial detention. The decision on whether to start prosecution now rests with prosecutors. Police say they cannot currently provide more details about the circumstances or motives behind the crimes.