Two 25-year-old men in Lamia held a 30-year-old hostage for six hours using a gun and knife, forcing him to withdraw money from ATMs. The perpetrators, after multiple relocations and extortion attempts, were immediately arrested by police and brought to preliminary investigation, while weapons and cash were confiscated.
According to lamiareport.gr, the perpetrators ambushed their 30-year-old victim in the early hours of last Sunday with covered faces, lying in wait outside his home in a Lamia neighborhood. Threatening him with a pistol and knife, they initially seized his mobile phone and wallet, then forced him into his own vehicle and drove him to an ATM where they withdrew €4,000 using one of his three debit cards.
Earlier, they had driven him to a remote location at the old stadium in Kastro Lamia, where through physical violence and threats, they extracted his electronic banking codes. Their criminal activity continued at an ATM in a neighboring community where banking security systems prevented them from completing transactions. Undeterred, they forced him to open an account at another bank, where he transferred €2,300, which they then withdrew from another ATM. Throughout these movements, conducted in the 30-year-old’s vehicle, they continuously threatened him with the gun and knife.
The entire ordeal lasted six hours before they released him in the Kastro area and fled on foot. The victim immediately contacted police, who quickly identified one of the two perpetrators who worked as a delivery driver for a well-known downtown establishment.
During searches conducted at the arrested men’s residences, police found and confiscated a blank-firing pistol with magazine, a nail-studded club, a folding knife, a mobile phone, and cash. The arrested individuals were brought before the Deputy Prosecutor of Lamia First Instance Court, who referred them to preliminary investigation, while they requested time to prepare their defense.
