More than a decade later, police in the East Kazakhstan region have detained the last suspect in the theft of a titanium ingot worth over 31 million tenge, reports infohub.kz.
According to the regional police department's press service, in Almaty, officers from the criminal police department of the Ust-Kamenogorsk police administration detained a 63-year-old man who was the last defendant in the criminal case involving the theft of a multi-ton titanium ingot.
The crime dates back to 2015, when a group of workers from an enterprise in Ust-Kamenogorsk devised a scheme to steal expensive raw materials. The target was a titanium ingot weighing 9,370 kilograms, valued at over 31 million tenge. Abusing their positions and colluding with security guards, the perpetrators transported the multi-ton load out of the enterprise through a checkpoint. To conceal the stolen goods, the ingot was placed in a truck bed, covered with fabric, and hidden under a layer of industrial and household waste. The metal was subsequently resold.
During the investigation, police identified all participants in the criminal scheme. The stolen property was found and seized, and the defendants stood trial, but one of them managed to flee and was placed on the international wanted list.
For many years, criminal police officers continued their efforts to locate him. They checked possible places of residence, his connections, and incoming operational information.
After more than a decade, the man was located in Almaty. Currently, the 63-year-old suspect has been placed in a temporary detention facility. Further procedural decisions will be made in accordance with the law.