A fraudster who defrauded several textile enterprises in Belarus has been detained in the Vitebsk region
A fraudster who deceived several textile enterprises in Belarus has been apprehended in the Vitebsk region, as reported to BELTA by the Department (for the Vitebsk region) of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus.
The organizer of the criminal scheme, according to law enforcement agencies, is implicated in thefts by fraud at no less than three textile industry enterprises in various regions of Belarus, with a total damage exceeding Br1 billion. A criminal case has been initiated against him by the Investigative Committee of Belarus for the Vitebsk region under Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 4 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (Attempted fraud on a particularly large scale). The sanctions of the article provide for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of three to 10 years with confiscation of property.
The fraudster was caught while attempting to steal property from OJSC "Vitebsktextiltorg" worth Br795 million, as detailed by the department. In February of the current year, during operational-search activities conducted by employees of the Department (for the Vitebsk region) of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption, jointly with the Main Criminal Investigations Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the criminal police of the Internal Affairs Directorates of the Vitebsk and Mogilev Regional Executive Committees, it was established that a group of individuals intended to commit fraudulent theft of the joint-stock company's property by concluding a supply contract for textile products with deferred payment, while having no intention of making any payments to the enterprise.
Employees of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption carried out a maneuver against the fraudsters, during which the loading of goods into a truck and their subsequent transport to Moscow to the address specified by the organizer of the fraudulent theft were simulated. The swindler himself was detained in Orsha en route to Moscow. He turned out to be an unemployed, previously unconvicted 47-year-old resident of Grodno. He was found to be in possession of seven mobile phones, five SIM cards, six seals of Belarusian and Russian business entities, and computer equipment.
The fraudster was cunning and cautious. He contacted enterprises via mobile phone and used email addresses registered to unrelated or even fictitious individuals, which prevented his visual identification and established identity. He also hired freight carriers indirectly. Before committing the crime, the man thoroughly studied information about the enterprise's economic activities obtained from open sources, as well as information about their counterparties. He conducted negotiations using the details of real Belarusian and Russian enterprises, for which he manufactured counterfeit seals and documents. The fraudster sold the stolen products at markets in the Moscow region at a price significantly below market value.
According to law enforcement officers, enterprises could have prevented these thefts. To do this, it was sufficient to directly contact partners, clarify the buyer's authority with officials, and conduct a reconciliation of financial documents.