Threatened a businessman with €50,000, police solve the case: 21-year-old arrested, no explosives found inside suspicious package (NAME)

A 21-year-old man has been arrested in Dibër after allegedly threatening a fuel station owner with the detonation of a suspicious device and demanding €50,000 in exchange for not activating it.

The police operation, codenamed “Threat,” was completed on October 2, 2026, by officers from the Dibër Police Commissariat, in cooperation with the Serious Crimes Investigation Sector and the operational services of the Dibër Local Police Directorate.

Engjell Karoshi, 21, was arrested in the act. He is suspected of the criminal offense of “Extortion through threats or violence for the purpose of obtaining property.”

According to the investigation, at around 2:30 p.m., the young man allegedly placed a suspicious box on the premises of a fuel station owned by Z. Sh. The box had a screen, electronic components and wires attached to it, creating the impression that it was a remotely controlled explosive device.

A threatening letter had also been left on the box, demanding payment of €50,000, which the perpetrator described as a “fine.” The sum was to be paid in cryptocurrency, through an exchange office and to an address specified by him.

In the threatening message, the perpetrator warned that the device would explode if the money was not paid by the specified deadline, if the box was moved, or if the police or other people were notified.

He also claimed that the box contained C4 explosives, was equipped with motion sensors and a remote-control system, and that the premises were being monitored by cameras.

After RENEA’s special bomb-disposal forces arrived, the box was opened and examined. The checks established that it contained no explosives.

Police said the investigation is continuing under the direction of the Dibër Prosecutor’s Office to fully document the circumstances of the incident and identify any other people who may have taken part in the case.

The procedural materials have been referred to the Dibër Prosecutor’s Office for further action.