In the capital of Ukraine, law enforcement authorities have arrested two individuals who, posing as agents of the Security Service of Ukraine, scammed elderly women out of more than 4.5 million hryvnias.
The criminals tricked their victims into giving up their savings under the pretext of verifying their connections with the aggressor country. Thanks to swift police action, the fraudsters were apprehended, and part of the money was recovered. Both detainees face up to 12 years in prison.
The operatives of the capital's police department and the Darnytsia district police, along with investigators and analysts, brought the criminal activity to an end.
Law enforcement officials discovered that the crime involved two unemployed men aged 36 and 42 from Kharkiv. They traveled to Kyiv to carry out a 'mission,' during which they deceived elderly people, demanding large sums of money.
Initially, the fraudsters called the pensioners, posing as security service employees and inviting them for questioning regarding possible cooperation with the aggressor country. Victims were accused due to their purchases of dietary supplements from advertised sources supposedly made in Russia. To prove their innocence, the elderly women were instructed to hand over their savings for a so-called 'check.' The ages of the victims ranged from 66 to 79 years.
The arrest of the criminals occurred under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. During a search of the vehicle used by the detainees, part of the stolen funds was seized.
Under the procedural guidance of the Darnytsia District Prosecutor's Office, the suspects were charged under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for fraud committed by an organized group in especially large amounts. The article provides for up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. The court imposed a preventive measure of detention with the right to post bail of 908.4 thousand hryvnias for each suspect.
Currently, searches are ongoing to identify other accomplices, and the involvement of the detainees in similar crimes in the capital is being investigated.
