Law enforcement authorities in Tajikistan's capital have detained a former employee of the construction firm Jamol-Basir on suspicion of large-scale real estate fraud, according to a statement from the Dushanbe Police Department.
The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Orifjon Solehov from the Nourobod district, had been officially wanted by police and was apprehended earlier this week. Investigators allege that during his time working at Jamol-Basir, Solehov defrauded citizens by promising to help them obtain housing in exchange for large cash payments.
“Under the guise of securing apartments for clients, Solehov received significant sums of money from multiple individuals, but failed to deliver on his promises,” police said in the statement.
The total financial damage caused by the suspect is estimated to exceed 1 million somonis (approximately $90,000 USD). Salehov is currently in pretrial detention while authorities continue their investigation.
Dushanbe police are urging anyone who believes they may have been victimized by Solehov to come forward and contact them at (+992) 018-02-02-02.
This arrest follows an earlier high-profile case involving the head of Jamol-Basir, Sodiq Odinayev, who was also detained on similar fraud allegations. Odinayev is currently facing charges under Article 247, Part 4 of the Tajik Criminal Code, which pertains to large-scale fraud.
According to investigators, Odinayev is accused of deceiving more than 160 individuals and misappropriating nearly 50 million somonis (over $4.5 million USD) that had been invested by prospective homeowners in a housing development project.
For guidance on how to avoid falling victim to housing scams, read our full report on real estate fraud prevention.
