Five suspects have been charged with a crime and are currently in custody. They face up to 12 years imprisonment with asset confiscation.

The operation was conducted by the SBU in the Odesa region in collaboration with the police under the guidance of the prosecution.

It was revealed that a 26-year-old man with a history of theft convictions led a group involved in extorting money from local residents. He recruited four accomplices aged between 22 and 33, two of whom also had criminal records.

According to the investigation, the leader sought out victims and monitored the extortion process via video calls, distributing the illicitly obtained money among the group members. The criminals would surround their victims in public, threatening them with physical harm to demand repayment of fictitious debts. If the victims didn’t have money, they would pursue them until they got what they wanted.

Police documented extortion attempts against three local residents. One victim was ordered to pay $600, of which they managed to collect $300. Another lost 8,000 hryvnias and was forced to make weekly payments. The third was presented with a “debt” of $10,000, from which they took $500 and 8,000 hryvnias immediately.

The arrests occurred while the suspects were receiving the second part of the payment, totaling $7,000 from the last victim.

During authorized searches, law enforcement seized mobile phones and SIM cards used for criminal activities, as well as cash obtained illegally during the last operation.

The suspects have been charged with extortion and organizing a criminal group. The maximum penalty they face is 12 years in prison with asset confiscation.

The court has chosen a preventive measure of detention without the right to bail for the arrested individuals. Investigative actions are ongoing.