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Dognappers steal two Bolonkas and demand £880,000 ransom from owner

Two suspects are being investigated after the Bolonka dogs were taken from the home of a 59-year-old man near Zurich

Steffie Banatvala
Monday 10 March 2025 17:01 GMT
Swiss police have rescued two dogs and arrested a man suspected of the dognapping (file image)
Swiss police have rescued two dogs and arrested a man suspected of the dognapping (file image) (Getty Images)

Swiss police have rescued two dogs kidnapped for a ransom of more than £880,000.

The Bolonka dogs were taken from the home of a 59-year-old man in Schlieren near Zurich, while he was away, Zurich authorities said. When the owner returned home, he found a ransom note demanding £880,000 (1 million Swiss francs) for their return.

The distressed owner then contacted Zurich police, triggering an investigation and a week-long search.

A 30-year-old Norwegian suspect, believed to be involved in the kidnapping, was arrested at Zurich airport. A 38-year-old suspect was also detained with the help of Polish police.

The dogs were safely returned to their owners on Friday. The average price of Bolonkas, a toy breed originating in Russia, is between £1,200 and £2,300.

The 30-year-old remains in custody and Polish authorities are carrying out further investigations into the 38-year-old.

Neither suspect has been named and the investigation is ongoing.

It comes after a Norfolk couple was recently reunited with their beloved Labrador, stolen nearly 10 years ago.

Daisy was stolen from Rita and Philip Potter’s garden in November 2017. A tireless search followed, which included social media campaigns and a petition urging government action against pet theft, and finally reached its joyous conclusion thanks to the RSPCA.

Daisy, now 13, was discovered over 200 miles away in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, by an RSPCA inspector during routine investigations.

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