Thessaloniki: 35-year-old arrested for 2022 murder of 24-year-old
A 35-year-old Pakistani man was arrested in Thessaloniki for involvement in the murder of a 24-year-old compatriot. The victim was found mutilated in the sea in June 2022.
Thessaloniki: 35-year-old arrested for 2022 murder of 24-year-old
A 35-year-old man of Pakistani origin was handed over to the authorities of the northern Greek city following an extensive investigation into a crime that occurred three years ago. The arrested man is alleged to be involved in the murder of a 24-year-old, whose remains were discovered in a coastal zone of the Thermaic Gulf in the summer of 2022.
The lifeless body of the victim had been retrieved from the sea between Kalochorion and Chalastra, showing serious physical injuries. The absence of a head and limbs had made it extremely difficult to identify him, with pathologists resorting to specialist analyses and comparisons of fingerprints to confirm the identity of the deceased.
The investigation of the case required coordinated efforts from many services. The Homicide Office collaborated with forensic laboratories and the Port Authority, making use of witness statements, visual material from cameras and communications records.
The investigation revealed that four people from the same ethnic background as the victim had organised the crime. Three of them managed to flee abroad immediately afterwards, whilst the fourth, the 35-year-old, was located and recently arrested in Thessaloniki by officers of the Organised Crime Prosecution of Northern Greece.
According to the findings of the authorities, the dispute began around 2020, when the victim became involved in a personal altercation. Multiple attacks on him followed, culminating in a group attack by six people. The 24-year-old temporarily left Thessaloniki to protect himself, but when he returned in June 2022, he fell into a carefully laid trap.
The perpetrators are alleged to have abducted him, transferred him to a remote location where they murdered him, and then attempted to eliminate all traces. They tied heavy objects to the corpse and threw it into the sea, whilst also removing the boat they had used.
The investigation also revealed that three members of the group had abducted another compatriot of theirs in 2020, an incident connected to the subsequent murder.
During a search of locations used by the 35-year-old, police found forged driving documents, seven knives and a folding paring knife. An additional case file was prepared for these findings.
The accused requested and received an adjournment to make his statement before the investigating magistrate the following week.
Source: Efimerida ton Syntakton