From document forgery to real estate fraud: international criminal group exposed

Employees of the 2nd Department of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOPiK) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in cooperation with colleagues from Russia and investigative bodies, exposed an international criminal organization.

It was established that a 59-year-old native of the Minsk region, previously convicted multiple times (including for robbery, assault, and rape), after being released from prison, moved to a neighboring country. There, he served a sentence for a particularly large-scale theft, and later, using criminal connections, gathered a group of accomplices. The group began by producing counterfeit seals, stamps, and documents in Belarus, which were then couriered to buyers in Russia.

Later, these forged documents were used on Russian territory to claim inheritance from deceased or long-absent citizens. The suspects targeted high-value real estate in Moscow. Straw men posed as relatives entitled to the property.

The criminals seized four apartments in Moscow worth about 3.2 million Belarusian rubles, but failed to sell them.

With operational support from the SPBT 'Almaz' of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, four suspects were detained in Belarus. Criminal cases have been opened for creating or participating in a criminal organization. The charges carry a penalty of up to 13 years in prison.

In Russia, the remaining accomplices, including the leader, are in custody. In total, 16 members of the criminal group have been exposed.

For the first time, a joint Belarusian-Russian investigative team was formed, comprising officers from GUBOPiK of Belarus, GUUR of Russia's MVD, and investigators from both countries, to document the criminal activities.