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full screen The shots against the villa had also hit the door. Photo: Blue light images
Fruit sellers, builders and families of influencers.
Criminals are now threatening several people who have nothing to do with crime.
– Extortion is one of several sources of income for criminal gangs, says head of intelligence Jale Poljarevius.
On the night of Wednesday, several loud shots were heard in the Hölö area in Södertälje.
When police and guards arrived at the scene, several shots were discovered in the facade of a villa. Among other things, shots had been fired through windows and there were several empty shell casings on the ground, according to information.
– We received a call at 03.43, says police spokesperson Helena Boström Thomas.
The family that lives in the affected villa has recently received threats and must therefore have been away when the crime occurred last night, according to sources.
Several cases of extortion against families
But it is just one in a series of recent threats directed at entrepreneurs, builders, influencers, relatives of criminals and witnesses in the Stockholm area.
Earlier in September, a business owner, who among other things bought fruit, was exposed to threats from “Strawberry’s” allies.
Often the threats have been about made-up debts that must be paid.
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full screen Police presence in Hölö after Wednesday’s shooting. Photo: Blue light images
Just a few days ago, several threats, and murder, were also directed at an influencer in Stockholm.
Last week, a fire was started at the influencer’s relatives.
The family is said to have previously received serious threats about payment demands. Among other things, one of the threats is said to have read “last warning, we have children everywhere”, according to sources.
As recently as Thursday night, another man in Stockholm was subjected to threats to repay an alleged debt – otherwise the man’s house will be burned down.
Common source of income for the gangs
At the moment, it is unclear who or who are behind the threats. There are suspicions that, among others, allies of Ismail “The Strawberry Man” Abdo, and Mikael Tenezos, leader of the Dalennävretnet, are behind some of them, according to sources.
Jale Poljarevius, head of intelligence in the police region Mitt, says extortion is one of several sources of income for many criminal gangs.
One reason could be that the gang has run out of money – but it is not possible to determine whether that is the case in these cases, he says.
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full screenJale Poljarevius. Photo: Jessica Gow/TT
– I do not have exact information that extortions have increased. But I share the view that we have seen numerous extortions both against other criminals but also against people who are not criminals, he says.
The police in Stockholm say that criminal networks have used extortion methods for a long time.
However, they cannot see that they have increased in the Stockholm region recently, writes Carina Skagerlind from the police.
“Our common ground in these cases is always the importance of reporting to the police when you are exposed to blackmail,” she writes in an email.