Swiss police rescue two dogs kidnapped for $1.8m ransom in Schlieren near Zurich

Staff Writers
AP
FILE IMAGE: Two dogs have been rescued after being kidnapped and held to a $1.8m ransom.
FILE IMAGE: Two dogs have been rescued after being kidnapped and held to a $1.8m ransom. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images

Swiss police say they had solved a kidnapping involving two dogs and a demand for ransom of a million Swiss francs.

Zurich police said that two Bolonka dogs were stolen from the home of a 59-year-old man in Schlieren near Zurich last week, while the dog owner was away.

When the man returned, the dogs were gone and he found a letter demanding a million Swiss francs ($A1.806 million) to release the small dogs.

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Instead of paying the ransom, the man, who was not identified by name in line with Swiss privacy rules, called the police.

In the course of the investigation, police on Thursday arrested a 30-year-old Norwegian man at Zurich Airport who police said was strongly suspected of being involved in the theft.

Following further leads and cross-European co-operation, police in Poland then detained a 38-year-old suspect and discovered the kidnapped Bolonkas, which they returned safely to their owner on Friday.

Swiss police said the Norwegian man is in custody in Switzerland and authorities in Poland are further investigating the Polish suspect.

A Bolonka is a toy breed of dogs bred in Russia and sold for up to a couple of thousand dollars.

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