In Lviv, two residents of Kyiv fraudulently took possession of the money of a 72-year-old Lviv resident who believed a fabricated story about his daughter allegedly being in an accident and in urgent need of funds for treatment.
According to the investigation, on 13 August the victim received a phone call and was told that his daughter had been involved in a road traffic accident and supposedly needed 20,000 US dollars for treatment. The man replied that he only had 16,000 US dollars and 2,600 euros, which he agreed to hand over.
It was agreed that a “representative of the attending doctor” would come to collect the cash. Shortly afterwards, two bogus couriers arrived at the Lviv resident’s home: one went upstairs for the money, the other waited at the entrance. Having received the funds, the men headed to the railway station.
Later, the victim managed to contact his daughter and found out that she was absolutely fine. Realising that her father had been deceived, the woman contacted the police. Law enforcement officers quickly established the whereabouts of the suspected individuals and detained them under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. They turned out to be Kyiv residents aged 18 and 25, one of whom had previously been prosecuted for drug-related offences.
During the search, the detainees were found to have more than 15,000 US dollars, 2,200 euros and about 6,000 UAH, as well as mobile phones and items resembling weapons, which were sent for expert examination.
Under the procedural guidance of the Halytskyi District Prosecutor’s Office of the city of Lviv, both men have been notified that they are suspected of large-scale fraud committed by a group of persons acting in prior conspiracy (Part 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by Police Department No. 1 of Lviv District Police Directorate No. 1 of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv Region.
Pursuant to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and may not be subjected to criminal punishment until his or her guilt has been proven in the manner prescribed by law and established by a guilty verdict of a court.