22-year-old blackmailed after a poker game: 9,000 euros and death threats
A poker game turned into a nightmare for a 22-year-old man from Chisinau. He was allegedly threatened with death and forced to pay thousands of euros to twin brothers who claimed he owed them money from gambling games.
Investigators claim that two 29-year-old brothers allegedly demanded €9,000 from the victim, citing an alleged debt accumulated from various poker games played both online and at home. This amount exceeds 170,000 lei.
Between December 2025 and February 2026, the brothers reportedly threatened both the young man and his father with physical harm and even death in an effort to compel them to pay the debt.
Under pressure, the victim initially offered them €1,000. However, the suspects continued to demand the remaining €8,000.
Ultimately, the young man decided to notify the authorities.
Following this, law enforcement intervened, with support from masked officers of the "Fulger" Special Purpose Police Brigade, and conducted searches at the suspects' homes. During these searches, officers seized poker chips of various denominations that were allegedly used in the games.
Prosecutors have filed charges of blackmail against two brothers, and an investigating judge has issued 30-day pre-trial detention orders for them.
According to investigators, the brothers are not new offenders; they have previously been criminally investigated for fraud and corruption.
The case is being handled by officers from the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, in collaboration with criminal investigation officers from the National Investigation Inspectorate and prosecutors from the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases.
