SSU officers cracked down a criminal group involved in kidnapping for ransom. The offenders were detained red-handed having abducted a child of a member of the Poltava Regional Council.

According to findings, the offense was organized by a detainee accused of intentional murder with particular cruelty and held in the Kyiv Pre-Trial Detention Center until the court sentence.

The attacker developed the plan and organized the said kidnapping. He searched for a kidnapper online for USD 100,000 reward.

The offender extorted ransom worth USD 470,000 paid in Bitcoin.

The official’s daughter was kidnapped with the assistance of accomplices. The kidnappers negotiated with her parents, threatening physical violence and the death of their child.

However, the offenders communicated only through the Telegram channel or the Darknet, law enforcement officers identified and detained them.

The offenders received suspicion notices of extortion and kidnapping and are currently remanded in custody.

SSU is identifying other persons involved.

The operation was carried out by the SSU Main Investigative Directorate under the supervision of the Prosecutor General's Office, as well as in cooperation with the SSU Main Directorate for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime and the Kyiv Pre-Trial Detention Center.

Note: in accordance with Art. 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and may not be subject to criminal punishment until his guilt is proved in a lawful manner and established by a court conviction.