A student from Nizhny Novgorod stole nearly 3 million rubles from the widow of a participant in the special military operation.

      29 December 2025 17:12

      Incidents

      Police officers in Altai Krai detained a 20-year-old resident of Nizhny Novgorod suspected of taking part in a fraudulent scheme that targeted the widow of a deceased participant in the special military operation.

      According to the Telegram channel "MVD-MEDIA", the woman contacted the police, reporting that unknown individuals had fraudulently obtained her money. The scammers called her and, posing as government officials, convinced her of the need to "declare" her savings. Under this pretext they forced the woman to withdraw 2.9 million rubles — the compensation payment for her deceased husband — and hand the cash to a courier.

      Law enforcement quickly identified the courier and detained him in Altai Krai. He had the entire stolen sum on him.

      The detainee turned out to be a student from Nizhny Novgorod. He said that he had allegedly previously been a victim of fraud and, under threats, agreed to cooperate with the scammers. According to the suspect, his task was to collect money from trusting citizens and transfer it at the fraudsters' instruction. He had arrived in Altai Krai following the criminal group's instructions, and after receiving the money planned to fly home from Barnaul.

      A criminal case has been opened under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation — "Fraud on a particularly large scale." The suspect has been remanded in custody. The money has been returned to the victim.

      Earlier it was reported that in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast the activities of an organized criminal group that stole payments intended for participants in the special military operation were halted.

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