Intermediary in 'kidnapping' case handed stolen money to unknown man

A young woman from Surgut, who acted as an intermediary in the «kidnapping» of a 14-year-old son of a Krasnoyarsk businessman, handed over the money stolen from his home to an unknown man near the «Sever» restaurant, the regional prosecutor«s office reported.

According to the agency, in January, fraudsters persuaded the boy to steal money from the family safes. Over the phone and in messengers, they convinced the teenager that he was helping his relatives. The fraudsters asked for the money to be handed over to an intermediary, as law enforcement calls her. She turned out to be an 18-year-old girl from Surgut.

The fraudsters paid for her trip to Krasnoyarsk, and she arrived there on January 21. The next day, the girl went to the boy«s home and together with him, »using a circular saw and a sledgehammer,« broke open the safes and stole cash in rubles, dollars, and euros. The total was about 2.5 million rubles ($27,800 at current rates).

She kept part of the money — 31 thousand rubles ($344) — for herself and gave the rest to an unknown man near the «Sever» restaurant on Lenin Street.

«If necessary, I can identify him, call…,» the girl stated in court, adding that she had no intention of interfering with the investigation (quote from a video by the Investigative Committee).

The boy«s father, businessman Andrey Kapli, had been demanded a ransom of about 30 million rubles ($333,300) for the child. On the evening of January 23, the boy and the girl were found in a rented apartment on Krasrab; they were not under threat.

The intermediary was detained, and a criminal case for fraud (Part 4 of Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code) was initiated against her; she faces up to ten years in prison.

In the prosecutor«s office video, she says that she herself acted under the influence and threats of the fraudsters:

«They convinced me to act for the good of the family, to avoid financial problems and problems with the court.»

The court sent her to a pre-trial detention center (SIZO) until March 22, the prosecutor«s office, the Investigative Committee, and the joint press service of the regional courts simultaneously reported. House arrest was ruled out by the prosecution.

«In court, the prosecutor insisted on her detention, as the suspect has no housing in Krasnoyarsk, nor an identity document, and could flee, destroy evidence, or influence witnesses,» the prosecutor«s office press service explained.

The other participants in the crime, including those who received the money, are currently being sought.

NGS24.RU collects all information about this story in a separate feature.