A device that, based on its outward characteristics, could be a listening device has been found in the official car of Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi. Inside, a power board, an aerial, a SIM-card slot, a memory card and an external microphone were discovered.
According to the mayor, the equipment was noticed in the cabin after the car battery had been completely drained twice in the space of a month and an unusual knocking sound appeared. During an inspection of the vehicle, the component was removed from its structure.
In the published photos, a disassembled electronic device, apparently of a makeshift type, can be seen placed on the car’s floor mat. The boards carry microchips, capacitors, connectors and other radio components.
“How did we discover it? Over the past month, the battery went completely flat twice. Plus something started knocking. We took things apart, had a look – and this is what we found. I have no idea who could have put it here, but if this was done officially on the basis of a court decision by our agencies – please come and take it away. If it belongs to ‘no one’ but is needed for some investigations, law enforcement agencies can also examine it. I will inform the heads of the relevant services,” said Andriy Sadovyi
The mayor stated that he would inform the heads of the relevant services and law enforcement agencies about the find so that they could check the device and establish its origin.
Sadovyi also recalled that around a year ago a bugging device had already been found in a phone in his office. At that time, he contacted law enforcement, but, he said, he did not receive a clear answer as to the source of that equipment.