Ukrainian Police Uncover Police-Led Theft Ring

Ukrainian law enforcement has uncovered a criminal scheme in its own ranks: a police officer running a theft ring at Kyiv’s Passenger railway station.

Ukraine’s National Police and  the State Prosecutor’s office have detained seven people for running the criminal scheme under the protection of law enforcement. Some of the detainees are employees of Kyiv’s “criminal police” — a branch of the National Police that investigates violent and serious crimes.

The leader of the scheme was a lieutenant colonel of the police and the head of the criminal police at the railway station. He brought at least five other criminal police officers and several groups of professional thieves into the theft ring. The thieves paid the officers money for the right to “work” at the station. They also reportedly shared stolen property with the police.

All members of the group have been officially informed that they are under investigation, the Prosecutor General’s press service said today in a statement. The police also carried out more 35 searches of suspects’ homes and police precinct premises, uncovering money and weapons,  according to photos posted on Facebook by the Prosecutor General Press Secretary Larysa Sarhan.

/By Matthew Kupfer