GNR officers in Tavira accused of extorting foreigners
Two GNR officers from Tavira face court over 27 extortion charges against Indian-origin immigrants, between June 2024 and February 2025.
GNR officers in Tavira accused of extorting foreigners
Two GNR elements stationed in Tavira admitted to a judge that they collected sums from foreign citizens, without, however, intimidating or assaulting them. José Augusto and Diogo Ribeiro now face proceedings for 27 offences against Indian-origin nationals, committed over a period extending from mid-2024 to early 2025.
The prosecution calculates that the amount illicitly obtained by the two officers is around 1,800 euros, affecting 24 people. At the second hearing at Faro Court, the defendants chose not to clarify case by case, claiming only that there was no structured plan nor preference for victims of Indian origin — they stated that it was a matter of "whoever appeared".
The prosecution reports, among other incidents, that one of the immigrants found himself without means to feed himself after paying 60 euros to the officers. The man had been stopped for riding a bicycle without identification.
The arrest of the two military personnel occurred in May 2025, carried out by other GNR colleagues. The detention resulted from several months of surveillance placed in the service vehicle. The defendants face charges of extortion, falsification of documentation, abuse of office, qualified fraud, misappropriation and bodily harm. Currently, they are subject to a precautionary measure of house arrest.
Source: Correio da Manhã
Source: Correio da Manhã