Two people forced a 76-year-old man from Varna into a white van and beat him at a bus stop in Ravda on the afternoon of October 2. Nessebar police arrested a 43-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman, both from Plovdiv, a few hours after the attack was reported.
The victim was waiting for a bus on St. St. Cyril and Methodius Street when a white Ford with Plovdiv plates pulled up beside him. A man and a woman got out. The man grabbed him from behind, under the arms, hoisted him onto his back and pushed him inside the van while he shouted for help.
The woman got behind the wheel and sped off, and the beating continued as they drove. The victim was left covered in bruises and marks from the blows.
A tourist happened to see the attack and remembered the car and how the man was forced inside. Shaken by what she saw, she didn't call right away — only a few hours later did she dial 112 and describe in detail what she had seen.
After the call, police began looking for the van and the people inside. They found and arrested the pair in Ravda, at a rented property where they had been staying for the past few days. Both are now in custody at Nessebar police station.
Investigators say the attack followed a falling-out between the victim and the two suspects. The pair used to buy and resell old equipment from resort complexes, and the Varna man had worked as their driver. He told investigators he had stopped working for the Plovdiv couple because they hadn't paid him the wage they'd agreed.
The act ranks among the most serious crimes against personal freedom under Bulgarian law. Prosecutors have yet to decide the final charge and have not commented on the case so far.