One million francs ransom demanded Dog kidnapper sentenced to 20 months conditional sentence

Together with two accomplices, he kidnapped two dogs and demanded a ransom of one million Swiss francs. The Dietikon District Court has now sentenced a 32-year-old Norwegian and banned him from the country.

Keystone-SDA

20.05.2026, 21:08

SDA

On Wednesday, the Dietikon District Court sentenced the kidnapper of the lapdogs Quentin and Qamar to a conditional prison sentence of 20 months. In addition, the 32-year-old Norwegian was banned from the country for 6 years.

"These dogs are important pets for the injured party", said the judge at the sentencing hearing. It was evidence of a "certain cold-bloodedness" that the accused first sought proximity to the 61-year-old former politician, then kidnapped the dogs with two accomplices and then helped with the search.

The former mayor of Schlieren had a breakdown when he found a blackmail letter in his apartment on February 24, 2025: his beloved Bolonkas had been kidnapped. "I've found your dogs!" the letter said. He would get the four-legged friends back for one million francs. But if he called the police, he would never see the dogs again.

"We're already in Poland, dad"

An accomplice of the accused Norwegian was already driving east with the two dogs. "We're already in Poland, Dad," he wrote to the desperate dog owner. However, the police in Zurich and Poland were quickly successful: they were able to arrest the Norwegian at Zurich airport and his accomplice in Poland.

Particularly bitter: the local politician had a relationship with both of them - and they had a relationship with each other. Another accomplice, called "Karol", could not be identified.

The dogs had been transported in a bag and survived the kidnapping unscathed. Two weeks later, their owners were able to embrace them again in Poland.

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Location for handover changed several times

The Dietikon District Court convicted the Norwegian of multiple counts of attempted extortion. This was because there were several blackmail letters, different amounts of money were demanded and the location for the dog handover was changed several times. Because no money was finally paid, it remained an "attempt".

The accused himself was absent from the trial. He was represented by his lawyer, who emphasized that his client had "nothing to do with the planning" and had only followed instructions. The 32-year-old should be sentenced for accessory at most.

However, the public prosecutor's office did not believe in this theory. The prosecution read like "a script for a Sunday crime scene", said the public prosecutor. She demanded a 19-month conditional prison sentence, i.e. one month less than the court now considered appropriate, but a 10-year ban from the country.

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With the dogs in the courtroom

The 61-year-old victim was also present in the courtroom - including the kidnap victims Quentin and Qamar, who sat dutifully on his lap. The former mayor of Schlieren was only present as a spectator.

He had withdrawn his criminal complaint shortly before the trial and declared his lack of interest in the prosecution. However, as blackmail is a so-called official offense, the trial was nevertheless held.

He felt sorry for the accused, said the former politician during a brief interrogation. He had been in custody for six weeks and had lost his home and his job. "I want to draw a line under this and he should now also be able to look forward," said the dog owner.

In the meantime, however, the 61-year-old has once again become the target of a criminal act. He had been financially damaged to "no small extent" by three men from Eastern Europe, said the public prosecutor. "He is very gullible and easy to manipulate." The dog owner did not deny this. "That may be true," he said and cuddled his dog.