Police end Virolahti operation after search raises crime suspicions

Police have completed a search operation in Virolahti after findings led them to suspect that crimes may have been committed, Yle reported. The suspected offences have not yet been specified.

South-East Finland Police searched the grounds of a detached house and an outbuilding in the Ala-Pihlaja area from Tuesday morning. The operation ended before 8 p.m., commissioner Timo Perälä said.

Perälä said the findings met the threshold for suspecting certain offences. The police expect to determine the possible offence titles in the coming days.

The Finnish Defence Forces assisted police in identifying material found during the operation and ensuring it could be handled safely. Police and the Defence Forces took control of the material, but Perälä declined to comment on it further. No one was arrested at the scene.

Police had planned the search for several days. Perälä said the operation was initially part of the police’s own investigation, rather than a criminal case, and that possible crime suspicions arose during the search. Police said the operation posed no danger to bystanders and that the investigation is continuing. They declined to provide further details to protect an individual’s privacy.