Dushanbe police have arrested three young men who, according to the authorities, introduced themselves as law enforcement officers and extorted money from citizens.
The Dushanbe Police Department says Zarif Umarjon, Yoqub Abrorov and Mahlailloh Majidzoda used force to take 9,000 somonis from one citizen and 2,300 somonis from another, and also physically assaulted them.
All of them were identified and arrested following complaints from the victims.
The suspects' statements regarding the incident are not yet available.
Authorities say criminal proceedings have been instituted against them under Article 248 of Tajikistan’s Penal Code – robbery. All three are currently in the pre-trial detention facility.
Based on these charges, the suspects face a prison sentence of three to five years.
It is worth noting that earlier, law enforcement officials reported the arrest of three individuals who had presented themselves as law enforcement officers and, under various pretexts, demanded large sums of money from citizens.
For example, they demanded US$10,000 from a young man living in the capital, using fabricated evidence to extort money for his release from legal responsibility. They were arrested while receiving US$4,900 dollars.
However, nearly half a year after the incident, the fate of the detainees remains unknown.
