Among victims are families of fallen defenders: ’fortune tellers’ to face trial in Kyiv. PHOTOS
In Kyiv, a group of fraudsters who posed as magicians and used psychological pressure to swindle money from people are to stand trial. The victims even included relatives of fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
This was reported by the Kyiv police, according to Censor.NET.
More on the case
Law enforcement officials note that to pay off the fraudsters, the victims handed over their last savings and took out loans.
In March this year, investigators shut down a criminal gang which, by disguising their services as esoteric practices and fortune-telling, swindled people out of their money. The cynicism of the suspects’ actions lay in the constant psychological pressure they exerted, even on the relatives of fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
It is known that the scheme involved the family clans of the organiser of the ‘business’ — a 50-year-old resident of the Cherkasy region.
During the operation, cyber police established that communication with the victims took place via themed websites created by the fraudsters, telephone calls and messaging apps.
Posing as psychics and magicians, the suspects constantly manipulated their gullible victims. They intimidated "clients" with curses to keep them hooked and force them to pay for additional "services" at ever-increasing prices, the National Police noted.
Court
Police investigators have completed a pre-trial investigation into four suspects under Part 5 of Article 190 (Fraud committed on a particularly large scale or by an organised group) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
- The indictment, together with the case materials, has now been sent to court. The offence carries a penalty of up to 12 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property.
