Young man detained for extortion of relative in Ponte de Lima collided with PJ vehicle during flight
The PJ detained a 21-year-old man suspected of extorting a relative with threats to expose his intimate life. During the flight, the suspect collided with a police vehicle and was hospitalised.
Operation "Monitored Handover" culminates in detention and flight with collision in Ponte de Lima
Correio da Manhã reports that the Judicial Police (PJ) detained a 21-year-old man in Ponte de Lima suspected of extorting a close relative through threats to disclose information about the victim's intimate life.
According to the PJ, the suspect had arranged a meeting with the alleged victim with the aim of receiving "a sum in the order of tens of thousands of euros" in exchange for his silence. The victim alerted the authorities, who set up an operational unit and proceeded to detain the suspect after he received what he believed to be the agreed amount.
At the moment of the approach by the inspectors, the suspect arrived at the location in a vehicle with obscured registration plates and with his face covered by a balaclava. After being confronted by the officers, he "began fleeing on foot", according to the PJ statement.
During the attempted flight, the suspect collided with one of the police vehicles that made up the operational unit, suffering injuries described as being of "reduced severity". The medical emergency system was immediately activated, and the suspect received assistance on site before being transported to Ponte de Lima Hospital for observation and treatment.
The PJ added that, following clinical evaluation, the suspect was "fully conscious and orientated, presenting only the aforementioned minor injuries".
As part of the operation, named "Monitored Handover", the authorities seized the vehicle used in the commission of the crime, as well as other objects associated with the execution of the criminal plan.
After hospital discharge, the suspect — identified as a close relative of the victim — was released. The inquiry continues under the jurisdiction of the Public Prosecutor's Office in Ponte de Lima.
Source: Correio da Manhã