Law enforcement officers detained three members of a group who were extorting money from a seriously wounded soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and his wife.
This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The investigation says that the members of the group broke into the soldierʼs apartment when they learned that he had received monetary compensation from the state for a shrapnel wound to his leg during front-line fighting. They demanded money and threatened the couple with a knife.
According to the case materials, it was found that the defendants demanded $3 000 from the couple in one transfer, and in total they wanted to receive almost 1.5 million hryvnias.
The suspects said that if the couple did not agree to pay the money, they would return, forcibly take the money and other property, and kill them. Law enforcement officers detained all three members of the group when they returned to the wounded soldier’s house.
According to the investigation, the leader of the gang was a recidivist who had already served three sentences for kidnapping, robbery, and extortion. He recruited two accomplices to the crime, including a local resident involved in pimping.
The gang members allegedly planned to continue to "tax" and keep residents of the Zhytomyr region in fear.
During searches of the detainees, law enforcement officers seized cold weapons and mobile phones with evidence of illegal actions, as well as cash and household appliances that they illegally took from the victims.
The defendants were charged with extortion with the threat of violence against the victim. They are currently in custody. They face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
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