Swiss man reunited with kidnapped dogs in Poland after international police operation

Mar 11, 2025 | Law, Notes from Pawland

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

A Swiss man has been reunited with his two kidnapped dogs in the Polish city of Szczecin following an international police operation that has also led to the arrest of a 38-year-old Polish man and a 30-year-old Norwegian man.

The suspects allegedly carried out an elaborate blackmail scheme that involved the Norwegian – named by the authorities only as K. – befriending and seducing 59-year-old Rolf Wegmüller, the former municipal council president of Schlieren, a suburb of Zurich.

“I really thought this could become something serious,” said Wegmüller, quoted by Swiss newspaper 20 minuten. “Despite the almost 30-year age difference, we got along well.”

Instead, however, the relationship culminated in the abduction in February of Wegmüller’s two Bolonka dogs, Qamar and Quentin, from his apartment.

The kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of one million Swiss francs (4.4 million zloty), later reducing it to 250,000 francs.

“They knew that I have a very emotional bond with my dogs. If I’d had a million francs at home, I would have handed over the money immediately,” said Wegmüller, quoted by Swiss newspaper 20 minuten.

When he asked for proof of life, the perpetrators initially threatened to send him a photo of the dogs’ severed heads. But instead, he received an image of them near the Polish border.

It was this photo that helped Polish police locate one of the suspects in the northwestern city of Szczecin, where the dogs were also found. Swiss police then arrested the Norwegian suspect at Zurich airport before he could leave the country.

 

The 38-year-old Polish man, who has not been named, has been charged, placed under police supervision, and banned from leaving the country or contacting Wegmüller or his co-conspirator, said Szczecin police in a statement. According to Polish broadcaster TVN, he faces up to ten years in prison.

“In criminal law terms, this is not a kidnapping, but rather theft and extortion,” said lawyer Matthias Fricker cited by Swiss broadcaster SRF, adding that this act in Switzerland carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

Wegmüller travelled to Poland with his brother last week to retrieve his dogs. Before the handover, Qamar and Quentin were cared for by the Society for the Care of Animals in Szczecin.

“They were small, very friendly, but clearly frightened,” said Marlena Sobczak of the organisation, quoted by TVN. “They were very cuddly and keen on humans, but you could see they wanted to go back to their owner.”

At Szczecin’s police headquarters, an emotional Wegmüller expressed his gratitude to the officers. “I am the happiest guy in the world. My boys were kidnapped more than ten days ago, and I thought I would never see them again,” he said. “The police in Szczecin did the best job in the world.”

The experience has left him shaken. “I have completely lost my trust,” he said. “I am sorry that K. messed up his life at the age of 30, but I cannot forgive the fact that I was tortured in such a way.”

Despite the trauma, he is relieved to have his beloved pets back. “The two of them are my everything. I can’t live without them anymore.”

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Image credits: Komenda Miejska Policji w Szczecinie

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