A wild gang that had become a nightmare for the Roma in the settlement of Megara, with attacks, blackmail, and even kidnapping children, in order to extract money from the defenseless victims, was dismantled by the Security Department of Megara.
After a coordinated police operation with the assistance of police officers from the Megara Police Department and OPKE, three men aged 52, 30 and 26 years old, members of the criminal organization, who lived there, were arrested in the morning hours of 2-2-2024, in the settlement. against whom, as well as against other 10 members of the spiral, a case file was filed -as the case may be- for extortion, attempted murder, dangerous and grievous bodily harm, abduction of a minor, illegal detention, attempted rape, robbery, power theft, usury and violation of gun legislation.
Five of the defendants, including the leader of the gang, are already incarcerated in the country’s detention centers for other crimes.
The action of the spiral
As it emerged from the preliminary investigation, the defendants, at least in the last year, had founded and joined an organization with continuous action and distinct roles among its members.
In particular, in terms of their mode of action, the defendants, after locating their victims, who were, like the perpetrators, residents of the settlement, forced them to hand over sums of money.
The victims were mainly the most vulnerable and powerless to resist, and in case they did not comply with the demands of the accused, they were pressured with threats to their lives or the lives of their family members.
Sometimes the threats were accompanied by the use of a weapon or physical violence against their victims, in order to bend their resistances and achieve their goal. Characteristic of their cruelty was the fact that they even abducted the children of the victims, in order to force them to hand over the requested sums. The members of the organization also “undertook” extortion on behalf of third parties, or “protection” of residents of the settlement, for a fee.
It is noted that the 26-year-old had tried, at gunpoint, to rape a woman inside the settlement, but she managed to escape.
As part of the investigation, 15 cases of criminal acts have been identified so far.
After a search of their possession and home, among other things, a hunting rifle, 18 cartridges and 4 casings and 10 mobile phones were found and confiscated.
Those arrested were taken to the Criminal Prosecutor of Athens.
Source: RES-MPE
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