An Israeli tourist visiting the city of Thessaloniki in northern Greece, filed a complaint at the local police station alleging a group of individuals stole his valuable items, including precious stones, while he was shopping at a retail store in the city center.
According to his statement to the local police precinct, the 54-year-old man, who is on a brief holiday in Greece’s second-largest city, said the alleged culprits stole his bag while he was in a fitting room.
The man said that the bag contained, among other things, three rings made of white gold and diamonds, as well as a diamond necklace, with an estimated total value exceeding 75,000 euros.
Subsequently, the thieves reportedly extorted the Israeli tourist, demanding a ransom to return the stolen items. The alleged victim said the perpetrators got in touch with him and demanded a payment of 500 euros to return the jewelry.
After investigating the incident, police arrested three suspects who were identified as a 45-year-old Ukrainian, a 44-year-old Armenian, and a 43-year-old Georgian.
The three individuals were brought before the prosecutor for criminal prosecution and were charged with a felony. They were then referred to the 4th regular investigator, from whom they received an extension to prepare their defense until Friday.
The stolen items were found in their possession and returned to their rightful owner.
