Exploited twice
A kidnapping in Bosnia and Herzegovina – a blackmail in Switzerland. On the migration route, human lives count for little, but they can be monetised. Close police cooperation makes it possible to overcome national borders, language barriers and time constraints.
Bern, 17 January 2024, 5:24 am
The hotline of fedpol’s Special Situations Unit in Bern has been ringing off the hook. On the other end of the line are the Bern Cantonal Police. They report that a man in the canton of Bern, let’s call him Ariyan*, is being blackmailed. His brother has been kidnapped in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The perpetrators are now calling Ariyan over and over again, and he hears his brother being beaten.
The Bern Cantonal Police have a major investigation and requested assistance from fedpol for this international case. Ariyan’s brother and two other men were travelling along the migration route from Iran to various destinations in Europe when their journey was abruptly cut short in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They have been kidnapped and held for ransom. The initial demand for each hostage is EUR 10,000, but the kidnappers then demand more. The victims are from Iran whereas the perpetrators are from Afghanistan. Often, it is the other way around. The perpetrators are extremely violent. They say that if the families do not pay the ransom, the perpetrators will kill the hostages or sell them into slavery.
The three families in Iran and Switzerland are panicking. Swift and close police cooperation is now crucial. A fedpol crime specialist immediately meets with the Bern Cantonal Police, who are leading the operation. His colleagues at fedpol’s local office provide back-up support. The Bern Cantonal Police are in contact with Ariyan and are with him during the phone calls with the blackmailers. At the same time, fedpol contacts the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the European Network of Advisory Teams (EuNAT; see infobox). This speeds up the investigations on the ground in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nevertheless, they cannot find the hostages and are unable to buy any more time. The clock is ticking. The deadline the kidnappers have set for payment of the ransom is approaching. All three families decide to pay.
European Network of Advisory Teams (EuNAT)
EuNAT is a network of experienced law enforcement advisors and negotiators from across Europe. It provides a platform for sharing good practices in line with each Member State’s legal framework. It also serves as a mechanism for immediate international cooperation and rapid support in response to kidnapping, hostage taking and extortion, particularly in situations where people’s lives are at risk.
Sarajevo, 17 January 2024, 4:00 pm
Within 12 hours of fedpol’s involvement, Ariyan’s brother and his two travel companions are released. Bosnian police are directed to a warehouse in an industrial area where the hostages have been held. The exhausted men, two of whom are severely injured, are then taken to the hospital for treatment.
With the release of the hostages, the critical phase is over. However, police specialists still have work to do: in Switzerland, they continue their investigations on the blackmailing case. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the police arrest four Afghan nationals, one of whom had already committed a murder the previous week. They belong to a criminal group specialising in human smuggling. Following this initial breakthrough, the police are now zeroing in on the network behind the kidnapping. The Bernese Cantonal Police are providing the necessary support.
Migrants are at the mercy of their smugglers and are sometimes exploited twice over. They pay large sums to be smuggled across the border – a lucrative business. And if they are kidnapped, their relatives are also blackmailed. Paying the ransom is often the only way to free the hostages. Many relatives, especially of irregular migrants, do not dare to go to the police. The number of unreported victims is high.
‘Kidnapping migrants is an additional source of revenue. The proceeds go to organised crime groups operating across borders.’
Pia, Special Situations Officer
* Name changed