Officers of the 5th Directorate of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Minsk have detained a previously convicted man suspected of attempting to take possession of a two-room apartment belonging to a 49-year-old resident of the capital.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ information, the 37-year-old member of one of the diaspora communities, who presented himself as a real estate agent, spent two months trying to gain control of the privately owned apartment. The ministry claims he targeted the apartment owner because he “had harmful habits and was therefore easily manipulated.”
The suspect told the man that he had learned about the apartment, which had unpaid utility bills, from law enforcement officers. He then began helping the owner pay utility charges and gave him small amounts of money.
On the eve of completing the transaction, the apartment owner discovered that instead of the promised one-room apartment in Minsk and an additional cash payment, he was being offered housing in a settlement about 50 kilometers from the capital. After he refused the deal, the suspect allegedly resorted to threats and violence. He beat the man and forced him to write a promissory note acknowledging a large fictitious debt.
The suspect was detained with the assistance of officers from the Almaz special unit. A criminal case has been opened on charges of extortion for the purpose of obtaining property on an especially large scale.
The man faces up to 15 years in prison.
