Nea Peramos: Suspects drove the 27-year-old to the mountain after his abduction and executed him

Investigations by the Homicide Division of the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime are in full swing into the abduction and murder -bearing the hallmarks of a mafia-style execution- of a 27-year-old businessman from Elefsina. His body was discovered by chance yesterday by a hiker in a remote area, inside a ravine on Mount Kandili, near the Holy Monastery of Agia Triada, in Nea Peramos.

As for the timeline of events, exactly one week ago, at around 2:00 a.m. from Sunday into Monday, the 27-year-old returned home in Elefsina after being out. Having forgotten his keys, he rang the doorbell for his partner to let him in.

Although she opened the door, she noticed that he was taking a long time to come upstairs and initially assumed that he had left again. By morning, she became concerned and reported him missing to the Elefsina Security Department.

Police officers who went to the scene reviewed footage from security cameras at a nearby café and determined that at least two unknown men, threatening him with weapons, immobilised the victim and forcibly pushed him into a car. It is believed that there was at least one additional accomplice acting as the driver, and possibly a fourth individual.

The vehicle’s licence plates were found to be fake and “cloned” from legitimate plates and a vehicle registered in the Thessaloniki area.

Entirely by chance, a hiker discovered the young man’s body yesterday at the isolated location. Due to the advanced decomposition and poor condition of the body, the forensic pathologist at the scene was unable to determine how many times the victim had been shot or the exact nature of his injuries. These details are expected to emerge from the autopsy and post-mortem examination scheduled to take place today at the Athens Forensic Service.

The victim’s partner told police that she is unaware of any reason why such an act would have been committed against him.

The 27-year-old, as well as his family, were financially well-off. He ran a personnel management company — the same line of business as a well-known local entrepreneur who was murdered in Mandra exactly two years ago. In that case, the perpetrators had riddled the victim with bullets inside his car and then set both him and the vehicle on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence.

The 27-year-old is said to have known and cooperated with that businessman. As a result, police are inevitably examining a possible connection between the two cases, without limiting their investigation to that angle alone, while also focusing more broadly on the victim’s business and financial activities.