vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #165 / Crime watch / Reading article...

Man abducted, held for ransom

Three criminals committed Vladivostok’s first known kidnapping in early April when they abducted an unemployed man and held him for ransom, police reported recently

The criminals rented an apartment in the victim’s name and tried to extort $2,000 from his relatives. The victim’s family, however, notified police, who freed the hostage and arrested the criminals.

One member of the gang was a policeman, according to newspaper reports. An investigation is underway.

Worker threatens family

Police detained a factory worker in Arseniev recently who threatened his wife and daughter with a grenade.

An electrician at Progress, the man hadn’t been paid for months and might have taken to manufacturing small arms, police believe. A search in his apartment revealed a home-made carbine, bullets, and spare parts for firearms. Police are still investigating the case.

Cops arrest counterfeiters

Frunzensky District police arrested two North Koreans attempting to sell $10,000 worth of counterfeit bills in downtown Vladivostok April 2, police reported.

After a further search, police confiscated $30,000 from the men. One is a trade representative with the North Korean embassy in Moscow, and the other works as a driver in a Vladivostok-based North Korean construction company. The embassy official will have to leave the country and the driver may face a prison term of up to 15 years.