A Comrat man, 22, is suspected of having kidnapped a 9-year-old boy from the same town. The victim was carried in the trunk of a car, IPN reports.

Ion Bodrug, head of the General Police Inspectorate, told a press conference that the boy was playing outside, near his home. The suspect hooded him and put him in his trunk. He took the victim to his home and released the boy after a few hours. The police found the child during the night between February 12 and 13, a few streets away from home. He was in a state of shock and is being seen by psychologists.

The investigation established that the kidnapper wanted to blackmail the child's parents, who are traders at a market in Comrat. Initially, he was heard by the police as a witness, but caught the officers' attention as his accounts contradicted the other witnesses. If he is found guilty, he risks between 4 and 10 years in jail.

The General Police Inspectorate urges the parents to keep an eye on their children, especially when they are playing outside.