In Tajikistan, eight individuals have been detained for fraud after posing as members of security and law enforcement agencies and extorting large sums of money from citizens by promising to resolve their problems. The State Committee for National Security (SCNS) reported this. Video footage related to the case was aired on Tajikistan state television on January 16.
The detainees have been identified as Ilhom Amonqulov, Fazliddin Mirzoyev, Jamoliddin Tolibzoda, Hojiabdullo Salimov, Mahmadullo Saidov, Fathiddin Davlatov, Yoqub Bozorov, and Husein Murodov.
According to the SCNS, Ilhom Amonqulov received 240,000 somonis from a Dushanbe resident, Muhabbatkhon Majidova, after promising to secure the release of her husband, Alisher Majidov, who had been arrested on charges of links to the Salafiya movement.
Fazliddin Mirzoyev, pretending to be an SCNS officer, demanded 50,000 somoni from brothers Mahmadali and Amonali Barotov, claiming he could arrange the release of their brother Mirzoali, who had been sentenced to five years in prison.
Jamoliddin Tolibzoda, Hojiabdullo Salimov, and Mahmadullo Saidov allegedly extorted 25,000 somoni and gold jewelry from Afghan nationals Otifa Ahmadi and Masuma Ahmadi by threatening them with deportation.
Fathiddin Davlatov demanded 30,500 somoni from a Dushanbe resident, promising assistance with employment in Germany. Yoqub Bozorov, who had previously been convicted three times and served prison sentences of up to eight years, posed as a “senior SCNS official” and extorted money by claiming he could secure the release of detainees’ relatives.
Husein Murodov is accused of taking 86,000 somoni from a 23-year-old resident of Isfara after promising to provide a forged military ID.
In the video released by the authorities, all suspects confess to the crimes, though the circumstances under which the confessions were recorded have not been disclosed. The official positions of the suspects and the alleged victims have not yet been made public.
Criminal cases have been opened against all suspects under Article 247 of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan (“Fraud”), which carries a sentence of five to eight years’ imprisonment.
The State Committee for National Security has urged citizens who may have fallen victim to these individuals to contact the agency at 221-37-37.
