Since the beginning of the year, Kazakhstan's internal affairs agencies have dismantled 22 criminal groups whose members hid behind religious-extremist ideas. Sixty-four people have been detained as part of these groups, infohub.kz reports.
According to the Interior Ministry's information media portal, those detained were accused of extortion, fraud, robbery, poaching and drug trafficking. They kept firearms for their criminal activities.
"Such groups operated in various regions of the country, including Almaty, Aktobe, Atyrau, Zhambyl, Mangystau and West Kazakhstan regions," the Interior Ministry said.
In Almaty, four adherents of radical religious ideas kidnapped 7.5 million tenge from a city resident. The perpetrators were sentenced by a court to prison terms ranging from 5 to 6 years.
In Petropavlovsk, four episodes of fraud committed by a female adherent of radical religious ideology were solved. The total damage exceeded 2 million tenge. The woman was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
In Pavlodar, a local resident who holds radical religious views committed 17 episodes of fraud. The damage amounted to more than 8 million tenge. The court sentenced him to 5 years in prison.
In total, internal affairs agencies solved 155 acquisitive and violent crimes committed by adherents of religious extremism. They seized 114 firearms and 3 bladed weapons, 7 grenades, more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition and over 32 kg of drugs from illegal circulation.
Along with this, police are identifying and suppressing extremist and terrorist crimes, including the spread of radical ideology on the internet.
In Aktobe, a city resident publicly incited religious hatred on social networks, insulting representatives of other faiths. He was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison.
Also in Aktobe, a radical-minded young man who planned violent acts was detained. For promoting terrorism, the court sentenced him to 6 years in prison.
In Turkestan region, a supporter of radical religious ideology who actively spread the ideas of the international terrorist organization "Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan" on the internet was detained. He was sentenced to 7 years in prison.
"Religious beliefs cannot serve as justification for crimes, violence and incitement of hatred. The Interior Ministry continues its work to protect citizens, suppress criminal activity and prevent the spread of the ideology of violence and religious superiority. This work is aimed at ensuring security and maintaining order in society," the ministry said.