A teen from Chisinau kidnapped his younger sister and demanded a ransom of €3,500 by an anonymous message. The 16-year-old boy acted in collusion with a friend of his of the same age. The two are investigated criminally and face 10 to 13 years in jail. Details of the case were presented in a news conference on October 15, IPN reports.

The chief of the Chisinau Police Division Corneliu Groza said the nine-year-old girl went missing on October 10. The girl’s mother received two messages with ransom demands on her mobile phone. As a result of swift actions, the police arrested two suspects. One of them was the girl’s brother. The girl was held in a rented apartment and had no signs of aggression on her.

Ion Munteanu, acting head of the Ciocana Office of the Chisinau City Prosecutor’s Office, said the kidnapped girl’s parents are divorced and the teen hadn’t lived at home for a period. He is now held in a remand prison, while his accomplice was placed under house arrest. The two partly admit their guilt.

So far this year the police dealt with 248 calls about the disappearance of minors who didn’t return from school, from yard, from training, from recreational and other places made by relatives, teachers and acquaintances.