Police officer found tied up in Athens apartment arrested

Police who arrived at an apartment near Piraeus early on Thursday in response to a call from a neighbor concerning a disturbance found a fellow officer bound and beaten. He was arrested on Friday on a charge of theft. 

The officer claimed that he ended up at the apartment in the suburb of Nikaia after being attacked by a group of men he had followed after seeing them “acting in a suspicious manner.” 

The men, who have been identified as Pakistani nationals, claimed that the police officer was trying to rob their apartment when they overpowered him and tied him up. Investigators found a large quantity of contraband tobacco products in the apartment and believe that the Pakistani men were part of a racket that the police officer was trying to rob. 

The Hellenic Police’s Internal Affairs Department has launched an investigation to determine whether the officer might be part of a criminal racket that targets migrants.