BoG Robbery: All Hostages Freed, Operation Underway to Arrest Attacker

In a statement released on October 22, the Interior Ministry of Georgia said all hostages, including the remaining four held captive by a robber who had broken into a Zugdidi branch of the Bank of Georgia, have been released and an operation is underway to arrest the assailant.

"Thanks to police efforts, as a result of difficult and long-lasting negotiations, most of the hostages were released during the day, replaced by Avtandil Galdava, Director of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Police Department.

"Later, Galdava, along with three other hostages, left the bank building with the attacker.

The attacker released four hostages in the village of Kirtskhi, Chkhorotsku district, after which he fled.

The health of the hostages is satisfactory and they do not have any injuries. They were questioned overnight last night.

The assailant of the Bank of Georgia in Zugdidi, a town in the Samegrelo region, left the building last night together with hostages with a grenade in his hand after the police satisfied his demand and brought him half a million dollars in cash and went in an unknown direction.

Yesterday, the Zugdidi branch of Bank of Georgia was attacked by an armed person who took 19 people hostage. He demanded half a million dollars in cash, a guarantee of his safety and freedom, and a plane or a car to flee in, otherwise, he would kill the hostages.

During the day, the attacker gradually released the majority of hostages.

An investigation was launched under Articles 179, 236 and 144 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, involving the charges of burglary, illegal keeping and carrying of weapons and hostage-taking.

By Ana Dumbadze