Another Money Courier Detained in Latgale

On December 19, officers from the Southern Latgale State Police in close cooperation with the Daugavpils Municipal Police detained a 1990-born citizen of Ukraine in the Likšņēni parish of the Augšdaugava region, who was acting as a courier in a telephone fraud scheme. Upon his detention, the man was found to have bank cards and cash.

On December 21, the court imposed a measure of restraint in the form of arrest on the man.

The police have information that the detainee may be involved in several fraud cases. In one episode, on December 8, unknown individuals called a woman in Daugavpils and persuaded her to take out a loan. The woman took out two loans totaling 11,000 euros and transferred these funds to the bank accounts specified by the fraudsters, as well as placed 1,400 euros in cash and two bank cards in a parcel machine. A criminal process has been initiated regarding this matter.

During the investigation of the previously initiated criminal case, law enforcement established that the man, using someone else's bank card that he took from the parcel machine, withdrew 800 euros from an ATM.

For these criminal episodes, the State Police initiated criminal proceedings under the second part of Article 177 of the Criminal Law — fraud committed in a significant amount or by a group of persons by prior agreement. The penalty provides for imprisonment for up to five years, short-term imprisonment, probation supervision, community service, or a monetary fine, with or without confiscation of property.

A criminal process has also been initiated under the second part of Article 193 of the Criminal Law — theft, destruction, damage, or illegal use of someone else's financial instrument or payment means, or acquisition, storage, transfer, or distribution of stolen payment means. The punishment under this article is imprisonment for up to five years, short-term imprisonment, community service, or a monetary fine, with or without confiscation of property.