Officers from the Old Tbilisi Main Division of the Tbilisi Police Department, under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, have apprehended nine citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan on suspicion of participating in a group-based illegal deprivation of liberty.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the investigation revealed that the suspects devised a criminal plan and unlawfully deprived a Kazakh citizen, identified as D.A., born in 2004, of his liberty. They subjected him to physical assault and demanded a ransom of USD 30,000, threatening to kill him if their demands were not met.

Following swift investigative actions, law enforcement officers arrested all nine suspects at the scene shortly after the crime took place.

‘The investigation is currently ongoing under Article 143 of the Criminal Code, which stipulates a potential prison sentence of up to ten years,” the authorities have stated.