A criminal investigation into an alleged seven-member organized crime group accused of large-scale fraud has been completed in Kazakhstan's capital. According to the Astana prosecutor's office, 51 citizens fell victim to the suspects, with total material damage exceeding 413 million tenge, the website infohub.kz reports.
The supervisory agency said the group's members spent four years defrauding citizens by promising to help them buy housing under subsidized programs and to secure favorable loans and financing.
To create the illusion of legitimate activity, the suspects rented office space, set up commercial entities, signed service contracts and issued guarantee letters. They also convinced their victims that they had connections in government and quasi-government structures.
The defendants face charges under two articles of the Criminal Code: Part 4 of Article 190 (fraud committed by a criminal group on a large and especially large scale) and Article 262 (creating, leading and participating in an organized group). The criminal case has been sent to court for consideration on the merits.