Only a few days after the disappearance of Magali Blandin, 42, her family fell under the threat of a group of criminals, reveals France 3 regions.
Sunday March 14, in Rennes and Ille-et-Vilaine, four men and a woman were arrested by the gendarmerie as part of what appears to be, according to the Rennes prosecutor's office, "
organized crime
".
The five friends are suspected of having ransomed the husband of the missing woman.
Read also: Ille-et-Vilaine: where is the investigation into the disappearance of Magali Blandin?
On February 25, Magali Blandin's husband told the judge in charge of the case that he felt threatened by people trying to extort 15,000 euros from him.
A judicial investigation for "attempted extortion by an organized gang" was therefore opened on February 26, the Rennes prosecutor's office said in a press release.
The same day, "
as a protective measure
", the prosecution requested the placement of the couple's four children.
Read also: Ille-et-Vilaine: a mother of a family missing for a week, investigators in the dark
After fifteen days of investigation, the gendarmes, supported by the Intervention Group of the National Gendarmerie (GIGN) finally succeeded in identifying the criminals.
Aged between 18 and 46 years old, two of them were arrested in Rennes in the district of Maurepas, "
where the meeting had been agreed between the husband of Ms. Blandin and the people implicated
", specifies the prosecutor.
The other three accused were arrested at the home of the first two, outside of Rennes.
In a statement, the Rennes public prosecutor said that custody could last up to 96 hours.
“
70 investigators from the Rennes research section and the Ille et Vilaine gendarmerie group remain mobilized on this investigation,
” it is specifically stated.