Fraudsters posing as Security Service operatives arrested in Kyiv
In the capital of Ukraine, police apprehended two individuals who, under the guise of Security Service operatives, defrauded pensioners of over 4.5 million hryvnias.
The criminals demanded the victims' savings, allegedly for verification of ties to an aggressor country. Thanks to coordinated efforts by the police, the fake law enforcement officers were detained, and some of the stolen funds were recovered. They face up to 12 years in prison.
The operation to arrest them was conducted by detectives from the capital's main police department and the Darnytsia police department, in collaboration with criminal analysts.
According to the police, the crime involved two unemployed residents of Kharkiv, aged 36 and 42. The perpetrators traveled to Kyiv specifically for this crime, where they tricked pensioners into handing over large amounts of money.
Initially, the victims received phone calls from individuals claiming to be special service agents, demanding that elderly Kyiv residents appear for interrogation regarding possible collaboration with an aggressor country. The accusations were based on supplements purchased by the victims from misleading advertisements, allegedly produced in Russia. To prove their innocence, the victims were coerced into surrendering all their savings for a so-called “check.” The victims were local residents aged between 66 and 79.
Police detained the accomplices under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. During a search of the vehicle used by the suspects, police recovered some of the funds misappropriated by the fraudsters.
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 – fraud committed in especially large amounts by an organized group. The article's sanctions provide for up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. The court has chosen a preventive measure of detention with the right to post bail of 908.4 thousand hryvnias for each suspect.
Currently, search operations are underway to identify other accomplices, and investigations are ongoing to determine the suspects' involvement in similar crimes in the capital.
