The investigative authorities have begun an investigation in connection with several criminal cases related to large-scale fraud.
As established by the investigation, a group of individuals posing as bank and government employees regularly deceived citizens, using hundreds of different phone numbers. The criminals operated according to a premeditated scheme, employing social engineering methods and psychological pressure, as well as mass registration of SIM cards.
On January 19, one resident of the southern capital received a call from individuals claiming to be bank employees. They warned him about attempts to obtain a loan in his name and, under the pretext of preventing illegal actions, demanded that he provide an SMS code. Later, individuals who introduced themselves as law enforcement officers joined the conversation. As a result, 856,000 soms were withdrawn from the victim's bank account.
A similar scheme was used on February 9-10 against another citizen. He was informed that his money was allegedly involved in illegal operations and needed to be "protected" urgently. Under pressure, he transferred 3 million 566 thousand soms.
Thus, the total damage from these crimes amounted to over 4 million soms.
During operational activities, it was established that the suspects activated about 300 SIM cards. Calls to citizens were made via Telegram and WhatsApp, with the criminals posing as employees of various agencies, including the State National Security Committee, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Bank, and commercial banks, creating an impression of threat.
As a result of operational and investigative measures, the identities of the suspects were established: they are residents of the Kara-Suu district, T.A. (born in 2006) and K.Y. (born in 2004). Both were detained and placed in a temporary detention facility. Searches were conducted at their places of residence, during which five mobile phones, SIM cards from various operators, and electronic storage devices were seized.
Currently, forensic and computer examinations have been appointed, and an analysis of phone connections, messaging in messengers, and financial transactions is being conducted.
The investigative authorities are also checking for possible connections between the detainees and other cases of fraud in the country.
