Five people suspected of a series of livestock thefts have been detained in the Pavlodar Region during a special operation, the website infohub.kz reports.
According to the information media portal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the suspects committed more than five livestock thefts over several months. Their targets were horses and cattle.
Searches were carried out in two settlements — in the Pavlodar district and the Akkuly district. The perpetrators acted in a coordinated manner, having distributed roles among themselves in advance. The stolen animals were butchered on the spot and sold at markets in Pavlodar and Astana.
"During a set of operational and investigative measures, all the suspects were identified. They turned out to be residents of the region. During a search at the home of a livestock buyer, two stolen horses, five head of cattle and vehicles were found and seized," said Zhaslan Tanzhanov, head of the criminal police department of the Pavlodar Region Police Department.
Four of the suspects have been placed in custody as a preventive measure, while one has been released on a written undertaking not to leave. The investigation is ongoing. Officers are checking the suspects for involvement in other similar crimes.