Three men are investigated after allegedly trying to extort 4.5 million lei from a businessman, the General Police Inspectorate said.
In 2020, the businessman received an offer from a cumătru, the Moldovan and Romanian equivalent of being a baptismal sponsor to one’s child. The offer was for a property in Orhei. They shook hands on the 1.6 million lei deal in March 2021, however, the cumătru later changed his mind about the price and asked for more money. Meanwhile, the businessman sold the property.
When the businessman rejected the claim, the cumătru conspired with two other men to extort the money. Eventually, the businessman was threatened with a grenade and with having his house and car set on fire.
This led to the cumătru and his accessory being arrested for 30 days. Another accomplice is investigated without being detained, for allegedly providing guidance to the accessory. Searches at the homes of the suspects revealed a firearm and 15 live rounds, among other pieces of evidence.
