Nearly $37,000 stolen from bank accounts of fallen soldiers in Dnipro
A criminal group stole Hr 1.5 million (close to $37,000) from the bank accounts of fallen soldiers in the city of Dnipro in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the State Security Service (SBU) reported on July 9.
The suspects, with the help of an employee of the Regional Bureau of Forensic Medicine, stole payment cards and mobile phones registered in the online banking system from dead soldiers in a morgue.
Law enforcement services detained all five members of the group. They were charged with theft, fraud, and unauthorized interference with automated information systems, according to the statement.
The criminal group withdrew cash, took out loans, and transferred money to their own accounts using the stolen devices.
One of the suspects was an IT specialist who changed passwords and gained full access to the fallen soldiers' online banking.
Twenty victims have been identified so far, the State Security Service said.
During the searches, the police seized mobile phones, computer equipment, SIM cards, military clothing and equipment, and draft records.
The suspects remain in custody and face up to eight years in prison, according to the State Security Service.
Dmytro Basmat
