Six citizens of Tajikistan have been detained in Kazakhstan, who are suspected of kidnapping a countryman in order to obtain a ransom of $ 20 thousand, KazTAG reports with reference to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

"In Almaty, Tajik citizens kidnapped their countryman and demanded a ransom. The disappearance of a Tajik citizen, citizen M., born in 1991, was reported to the police by his countryman," the message says.

According to the man, on August 13, his friend went to a meeting and did not return.

Law enforcement officers identified an apartment in the Medeu district of the city, in which citizen M. was kept locked up.

"With the assistance of the police special forces, a special operation was carried out. Six Tajik citizens who kidnapped their compatriot in order to demand a ransom of $ 20 thousand were detained. They beat him, and the whole process was filmed on video," said Zhanat Nurgaliyev, head of the Department for Combating Organized Crime of the Almaty Police Department (DP).

An investigative task force has been created. A criminal case was registered on the fact of kidnapping (Article 125 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).

The suspects have been taken into custody.