Police are working to end the activities of a gang of young men and women who attack, strip, and rob men alleged to be pedophiles who arrange online meetings with underage girls in Thessaloniki. The gang’s activities have been reported by three men so far, with the latest victim, a 48-year-old, revealing to police the real reasons he was at the attack location several hours after the incident. “I had arranged to meet a 17-year-old girl I had been chatting with through a Facebook account. At first, two girls appeared,” the 48-year-old told police when he realized his initial story about a random robbery had not convinced them. The 17-year-old asked him to drive her friend to a park, after which they would be alone. However, when they reached the park, the 48-year-old claimed “15 people with masks appeared, some may have been minors. They surrounded me and started beating me. Then they took my car key, opened it, and took a bag containing my personal items and documents.”
Police have received two other complaints from male victims of the “pedophile punisher” gang. The first complaint came from a man who was beaten and robbed by a group of young people on November 17 while talking in western Thessaloniki. The second complaint was filed seven days later, specifically on November 24, when a 40-year-old man reported being beaten and robbed by a group of young people in Polichni.
Are Thessaloniki’s “pedophile punishers” self-appointed vigilantes or common criminals?
This is the question that police trying to uncover the perpetrators’ identities cannot yet answer. It’s likely a collaboration between minors and adults. The fact that the perpetrators beat victims while shouting “you wanted to meet minors” and in some cases stripped them shows they want to punish them for this choice. However, the fact that they stole money and other personal items suggests other motives. “Could the girls’ profiles be fake, designed to identify victims for robbery?” police wonder.
One of the profiles has been identified and is being investigated by authorities, who believe the young gang’s victims are far more numerous. However, because the victims had arranged meetings with minors, they didn’t want to report the attacks to authorities. The young perpetrators thought they would be protected because their victims were engaging in illegal activities that carry heavy penalties for romantic conversations or intentions with students. Police from the Organized Crime Unit believe there will be developments in the case this week.
