An criminal case of abuse of office by law enforcement officers is under investigation in Almaty, with eight individuals involved, according to infohub.kz.
As reported by Kazinform news agency, information appeared online about the detention of a group of eight people. Four of them, according to available data, are active law enforcement officers, while the other four were dismissed at various times.
According to the agency, the detainees are suspected of extorting money from people who use drugs. The suspects tracked down so-called "stash dealers," then threatened them with criminal prosecution and forced them to hand over large sums.
The fact that an investigation has been launched against law enforcement officials was confirmed by the Almaty city prosecutor's office.
"We inform you that the Investigative Department of the National Security Committee for the city of Almaty has launched a pre-trial investigation against law enforcement officials on the fact of abuse of office. Other information related to the pre-trial investigation is not subject to disclosure (Article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan)," the prosecutor's office said.