Three Ukrainian nationals, aged 22, 24, and 25, have been detained by order of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office in connection with the kidnapping of a 17-year-old Ukrainian boy in Sofia. The suspects are being held for up to 72 hours as part of the pre-trial proceedings.

According to the investigation, the incident took place on the night of January 4 in the Malinova Dolina district. Around 10:20 p.m., the three men, along with an unidentified accomplice, reportedly ambushed the teenager at the entrance of a residential building. Dressed in dark clothing and wearing hoods, they allegedly used physical force to seize the boy, threatened him with a weapon pressed against his body, confiscated his phone, and forced him into a car parked nearby.

Inside the vehicle, the victim was placed in the back seat between two of the perpetrators, while the other two occupied the front seats. The car drove in the direction of Simeonovsko Shose before entering the area of Studentski Grad. The abductors then contacted the boy’s brother and demanded a ransom of €10,000. After a few hours, once the sum was paid, the young man was released.

Police were able to identify the vehicle involved in the abduction and subsequently tracked down its users. With the cooperation of the regional directorates of internal affairs in Plovdiv and Burgas, officers carried out coordinated raids. Two of the suspects were arrested in Plovdiv, and the third in the town of Nessebar, where they had been residing.

Under Bulgarian law, kidnapping of this nature carries a sentence ranging from 10 to 20 years in prison, or life imprisonment. The punishment also includes the potential confiscation of part or all of the perpetrator's property. The investigation into the involvement of the unidentified fourth participant continues.