Four arrested over attempted extortion and arson in Velika Gorica
A young gang allegedly extorted millions in cryptocurrencies from a businessman. After the victim refused to comply, they set fire to his Lamborghini, with the fire spreading to four other vehicles and a residential building.
Four arrested over attempted extortion and arson in Velika Gorica
A twenty-two-year-old and a twenty-one-year-old, with the help of a twenty-nine-year-old woman and a twenty-year-old, allegedly attempted to extort millions of euros from a sixty-three-year-old businessman from Velika Gorica. When their goal failed, two of the younger suspects went through a courtyard and set fire to a vehicle.
According to the investigators' claims reported by 24sata, it all began with the purchase of mobile phones and SIM cards. The female member of the group allegedly knew the victim from earlier business contacts and provided instructions about the target. A man followed up and sent two short messages demanding a payment of seven million euros in digital currency for an alleged debt.
The businessman refused to cooperate and reported everything to the police. Rather than backing down, the suspects escalated the situation. In the late hours, two of them arrived at Zagrebačka Street, found a Lamborghini sports car in the courtyard, doused it with flammable liquid from a canister and set it on fire.
The fire engulfed a second vehicle of the same make, a Nissan, two Mercedes cars and a BMW. It spread to the building: the façade was damaged on multiple sides, and windows were burnt out in a total of seven flats. Residents were in the house at the time, but firefighters from the Velika Gorica fire service intervened promptly and prevented more serious consequences. The estimated damage exceeds 1.2 million euros.
After the fire, the twenty-two-year-old sent another threatening message to the victim. All four are now in investigative custody in Remetinec for one month.
Source: 24sata