Almost seven years after the notorious kidnapping of Gino and Rien in Breda, three men still have to appear in court. The three, from Chaam and Breda, were arrested shortly after the kidnapping, but were released not much later.
Why it took so long for the lawsuit to start remains a mystery. For example, it is unclear whether additional evidence against the men has been collected in the meantime. According to the Public Prosecution Service in Breda, there would be more suspects, reports BN DeStem. It is not yet known whether they will also be called up in the case.
For the case we have to go back to December 29, 2015. Those days the second cousins Gino and Rien (then 18 and 42) were kidnapped in Gino’s grandfather’s car dealership. They were then held in a warehouse in Ulicoten. It was all done by a couple of men dressed as police officers.
Failed drug deal
Moments later, it turned out that the perpetrators demanded 90,000 euros ransom from the family. According to the detectives, the duo would have been kidnapped after a failed cannabis deal. Gino’s grandfather was known to the police and had previously been convicted of drug trafficking.
A few days later, on New Year’s Day, Gino and Rien managed to escape. They were unharmed. A month later, two men from Sint-Willebrord and Chaam were arrested, but they were soon released. Moments later, the same happened to four more suspects. Then things went quiet.
The Public Prosecution Service is now starting a case against three of them. It concerns AB (57) from Chaam and KC and AT (both 44) from Breda. According to the newspaper, the lawyers of the suspects are surprised by the developments. He is surprised that the case has been shelved for years and is now suddenly being continued.
The images below show how Gino and Rien were kidnapped at the end of 2015.