The Balkan mafia tortures two men in a hotel in Vienna
This week, a Vienna court witnessed a shocking session that revealed terrifying details of a crime committed by members of the Kavač gang, one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the Balkans. The case revolves around two men, one from Montenegro (39 years old) and the other from Serbia (50 years old), who tortured two men from Croatia (41 and 64 years old) inside a hotel room in downtown Vienna.
According to the indictment, the victims were lured to the hotel under a false pretense, where the accused were waiting for them with hand saws and guns equipped with silencers. The victims were tied up, beaten, and threatened with death for four hours, and were asked to pay an amount of one million euros. In the end, they handed over 10,000 euros to collaborators in Zagreb.
The gang operating from Montenegro has been leading a bloody war against the Skaljari gang since 2014, following the disappearance of a 200-kilogram drug shipment in Spain. This war has claimed the lives of more than 80 people in shootings, torture, and targeted bombings around the world.
The evidence presented by the public prosecution was extracted from encrypted conversations via "Sky ECC", which were hacked by Europol. In one message, it was stated: "His brother broke his nose with a gun... his whole face exploded, brother." In another message: "We brought nylon saws and everything, the man is screaming... I will kill him now if he comes." The defendants denied all charges in court and refused to make any statements. As for the victims, who were also using encrypted phones, they participated in the session via video from Croatia and claimed that they had never seen the defendants before, and they confirmed that they were not in Austria at the time of the incident.
The session was held under strict security measures, with the presence of special police units, "Cobra", and armed judicial guards. Filming and recording were strictly prohibited. Defense attorney, Mirsad Musliou, attempted to downplay his client's role in the crime, emphasizing that his name was barely mentioned in the conversations, and stressed that the crime does not fall under the charge of "kidnapping for extortion", due to the absence of a ransom demand from a third party, but described it as "deprivation of liberty with extortion."
The second defense attorney, Alexander Philippe, spoke about an "unfortunate case of identity confusion." A verdict is expected after the summer, with the defendants remaining in custody under the highest levels of security, while the presumption of innocence remains in effect until proven otherwise.