In Zhytomyr region, law enforcement officers detained a deputy of the Korostyshiv city council who was a member of a powerful criminal organization in the region. This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine, UNN reports.
Details
The criminals extorted money from people under false pretenses, and in case of refusal to pay, kidnapped their victims and took them to specially equipped torture chambers in the city.
Law enforcement officers have identified more than 30 families who suffered at the hands of racketeers.
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The involvement of a current city council member, who previously served as the city's vice mayor, in the activities of the criminal group has been established. According to the investigation, he and other gang members kidnapped local residents and "extorted" money from them.
It was established that after numerous tortures of his victims, the defendant forced them to bring "ransom money" to the city council building. In addition, referring to his own "connections" in various government agencies, he "warned" the victims against reporting to law enforcement agencies.
SBU officers documented the criminal activity of the deputy and detained him.
Based on the collected evidence, the official was notified of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: part 2 of Article 146 (illegal deprivation of liberty by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, accompanied by infliction of physical suffering) and part 2 of Art. 189 (extortion committed repeatedly and by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, with the threat of violence against the victim's close relatives, restriction of their rights and freedoms)
Also, during the searches in his home and office, law enforcement officers found a cell phone, computers and flash drives with evidence of illegal actions. In addition, law enforcement officers found draft records of the victims' "debts".
The issue of choosing a measure of restraint is currently being decided. The offender faces up to 7 years in prison.
Addendum
The agency said that during operational actions in August and September this year, law enforcement officers detained 10 members of the criminal organization red-handed, including its leader, the so-called "lookout" for Korostyshiv.
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He was also served a notice of suspicion of creating and leading a criminal organization.
Other members of the group are also charged with committing grave and especially grave crimes as part of a criminal organization. The investigation is ongoing to establish all the circumstances of the crime.
To recap
In Sumy region, law enforcement officers served a notice of suspicion to a man who organized drug trafficking while in a pre-trial detention center