Man Abducted in Calella Amid Spate of Criminal Ensnarements

The Mossos d'Esquadra are investigating an alleged illegal detention after a man was forcibly taken from his vehicle in Calella late on Sunday, 27 September 2026. The incident, reported just before 9:45 PM near Carrer de Puig de Popa on the outskirts of the town, marks the ninth case of its kind in Catalonia this year and the fourth within a single month. According to witness testimony, four masked individuals removed the victim from his car and loaded him into the boot of a black Land Rover 4x4 before fleeing the scene. The victim’s vehicle was left abandoned in the street, unlocked and containing around €200, police sources confirmed to ElCaso.cat.

Pattern Linked to Organised Crime and Drug Debts

The investigation has been assigned to the Divisió d'Investigació Criminal (DIC), which is treating the case as part of a wider pattern of violent abductions linked to organised crime, particularly drug trafficking disputes. Catalan media ARA reports that early investigative work connects the incident to narcotics-related score-settling. This latest case follows three similar incidents in quick succession:

  • On 7 September, a motorcyclist was shot in Gavà, placed unconscious in a car boot, and abandoned in Sabadell.
  • On 19 September, five men dressed in reflective vests marked "policia" intercepted a vehicle on the AP-7 near Montornès del Vallès and forcibly removed the passenger.
  • On 21 September, hooded individuals abducted a man in Barcelona’s Sant Martí district; he was later found injured near a petrol station in Salt, Girona.
These types of illegal detentions are increasingly being used by criminal networks to enforce debts or retaliate over stolen drugs, often without demanding ransom, which legally distinguishes them from kidnappings.

Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the victims were involved in illicit activities, though police sources acknowledge a 'hidden figure' of unreported cases due to victims’ reluctance to come forward.

Victim Still Missing, Public Asked to Report Sightings

As of Wednesday morning, the man taken in Calella has not been located. The Mossos urge anyone with information, especially drivers who may have dashcam footage from the Maresme area late on Sunday, to contact the missing persons unit via the Department of Interior and Security’s official portal at interior.gencat.cat/ca/arees_dactuacio/seguretat/persones_desaparegudes/.

Primary sources: mossos.gencat.cat, interior.gencat.cat, Departament d'Interior. Reported by 3cat.cat, Guillem RS, ara.cat, cronicaglobal.elespanol.com, diaridesabadell.com, lavanguardia.com, elconfidencial.com, capgros.elnacional.cat, cronicanegra.com, regio7.cat, tvmataro.cat, ARA, telecinco.es, ACN, 3Cat.