In the fall of 1976, show jumper Hendrik Snoek was kidnapped in Münster. The son of a wealthy family was hidden in a shaft under a bridge near Herborn. Chained by the neck, he was held captive for 50 days. The perpetrators demanded a ransom of five million marks. Snoek was released. It was not the only kidnapping case during that time. Many criminals struck fear into people’s hearts with ransom demands.