More than three months after the kidnapping of a man from Karlstadt in Lower Franconia, the police have now arrested four suspects. As the Würzburg police and public prosecutor’s office announced on Wednesday, a 33-year-old man was caught in France near Paris at the beginning of February. According to information from the Main post as a key figure in the alleged kidnapper gang, which consists of at least four people. In mid-January, investigators had already arrested a 38-year-old suspect from Upper Franconia. Both are now in custody.
In mid-November 2023, a driver observed the 33-year-old alleged victim being pulled into a light-colored van in Karlstadt (Main-Spessart district) – against his will. The man was released in Baden-Württemberg after four and a half days – after days of physical abuse, the investigators said.
About a month after the crime, the police reported the arrest of two suspects in Thuringia and Hesse. The two men, aged 30 and 32, were taken into custody on suspicion of kidnapping for extortion. According to previous information, the victim was held in an apartment in Kassel.
In the course of the investigation, the police also recently found evidence that the man was also held in Meckesheim (Rhein-Neckar district) during the kidnapping – not far from where the victim was later released. According to the investigators, the course of the kidnapping and the question of the alleged perpetrators have been largely clarified. The police and public prosecutor’s office said the investigation into the background and motive for the crime would continue.