site.btaPolice Busts Group Allegedly Involved in Property Fraud, Money Laundering, Falsifying Documents

Officers of the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime uncovered a large-scale property fraud scheme and arrested the alleged leaders and participants in the group, the Interior Ministry's press centre reported on Friday. The police acted within the framework of a specialized operation carried out in the regions of Varna, Vratsa and Sofia on November 12.

Six people have been detained for up to 24 hours. Four of them were charged with participation in an organized criminal group, money laundering and drawing up documents with false content. The District Court - Varna set a precautionary measure to secure the appearance of three of the detainees in view of the scale of the alleged serious crimes, the evidence of pressure exerted on witnesses and the risk of hindering the course of the proceedings.

Several properties and motor vehicles were searched over the course of the investigation. Identification and witness interviews were carried out. Computers, mobile devices, money and documents were seized.

The group appears to have been active since May 2016. The prosecution alleges that they would find properties, housing or agricultural land, whose owners were not interested in managing the property or were elderly people with no heirs. The group would then obtain ownership of the properties and transfer them through purchase and sale to various individuals and legal entities. Fraudulent documents and handwritten wills by deceased or people living alone were found.