Belarus’s Interior Ministry has uncovered an illegal migration scheme involving foreign nationals who were officially employed as software developers but in reality worked in online gambling and the adult entertainment industry.
Officers from the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOPiK), OMON riot police and the Almaz anti-terrorism special unit detained three women accused of helping citizens of Middle Eastern countries illegally enter and remain in Belarus.
Two 53-year-old women established IT companies and submitted fraudulent employment documents to state institutions, claiming that foreign nationals had been hired as software engineers. In reality, the migrants were promoting online casinos targeting customers in their home countries, where gambling is prohibited. In addition, to advertise the business and increase the audience for livestreams, the foreigners set up a studio producing erotic content. The studio was located in a house in the Minsk district.
Another suspect, a 21-year-old woman from Minsk, was responsible for finding clients. She was assisted by two Middle Eastern nationals aged 28 and 33, the Interior Ministry reported.
Through the scheme, at least 40 foreign nationals obtained visas and temporary residence permits in Belarus. The suspects allegedly charged between $1,500 and $2,000 per person for their services.
A criminal case has been opened on charges of organizing illegal migration. The foreign nationals involved will be forcibly expelled from the country.
Investigators are working to identify other participants in the scheme.
