Six Captured in Medellín After Kidnapping German Woman

Six individuals, including a 14-year-old minor, were detained in the Prado Centro neighborhood of Medellín following the successful liberation of a German national who had been held captive and extorted.

The joint operation, executed by units of the Gaula Metropolitano (Anti-Extortion and Kidnapping Group), a specialized division of the Policía Nacional de Colombia, alongside the City Government of Medellín and the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia, secured the victim’s release after 36 hours of confinement.

Six people, including a 14-year-old, were detained in Medellín’s Prado Centro after freeing a kidnapped German national. Photo credit: Medellín Mayor’s Office.

The six suspects—identified as four adults and two women among them, plus the adolescent—were arrested in flagrante delicto (in the act) and have been charged with several offenses, including aggravated extortionate kidnapping (secuestro extorsivo agravado), aggravated theft (hurto calificado), and the use of minors in committing crimes.

Details from the investigation indicate the German tourist was initially approached in the Parque Lleras sector—a known hub for tourism and nightlife. Two women allegedly accosted the victim and subsequently took her to the property in Prado Centro, north of downtown Medellín, where she was held. During the confinement, the assailants reportedly stripped the victim of personal belongings valued at over €2,000 and initiated financial demands to the victim’s family contacts in Germany.

The multi-agency response was activated after an official alert was received from the German Embassy in Bogotá. Personnel from the City Government of Medellín and the Gaula units of the Metropolitan Police of the Aburrá Valley quickly instituted a focused search and rescue protocol.

During the intervention, several of the victim’s personal items were recovered, and four cellular telephones were seized for forensic analysis. The detained individuals have been transferred to the custody of the competent judicial authorities, under the purview of the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia, to commence the formal prosecution process.

Video headline credit: Medellín Mayor’s Office.