Helsinki police on Wednesday announced that around 40 teens and young adults are suspected of carrying out a number of gang robberies and assaults in the city during the autumn.
In most of the cases, police suspect that one or two of the youths befriend a potential target, after which a large group of other youths surround and then assault and rob the victim.
According to police, the victims seem to have been selected at random, and in some cases, they were seriously injured in the violent attacks.
Some victims also faced humiliation, police said, for example, being forced to take off their clothes.
The suspects were aged between 14 and 18 when they carried out the crimes, while the victims were as old as 20. The suspected crimes occurred between August and November of this year.
According to police, the suspects mainly have immigrant backgrounds.
In particular, the suspected crimes have taken place in the capital's districts of Alppila, Malmi, Oulunkylä and Mustikkamaa, according to authorities.
Police have investigated the incidents as aggravated robbery and aggravated assault.
