Police detained suspect of fraud against elderly citizens

'Operatives of the MIA of Russia Main Directorate for Criminal Investigation, together with colleagues from the MIA for the Republic of Tatarstan detained a suspect of fraudulent actions against pensioners.

According to available information, the offender, having in his disposal a database of phone numbers, called elderly citizens and informed them that their relatives had committed a crime or became the culprits of traffic accidents. In order to avoid unpleasant consequences, the swindler offered them to pay a certain amount.

Elderly people, agreeing to those conditions, transferred money to taxi drivers who were unaware of the criminal intentions of the defendant. Then the received funds were transferred to pre-prepared bank cards, after which they were cashed. According to preliminary estimates the total damage caused to 11 residents of Kazan exceeds 2.7 million rubles.

The criminal case instituted on the grounds of a crime under part 3 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is being investigated by the GA for Investigation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Republic of Tatarstan. Placement to custody has been selected as the preventive measure for the suspect.

There are reasons to believe that the detainee could also carry out illegal activities in the Perm Territory. Measures aimed at detaining accomplices and establishing all the circumstances of the illegal activities are continued,' said the official representative of the Russian MIA Irina Volk.