Overview
- A 27-year-old Novosibirsk resident was detained in Novokuznetsk after renting three apartments and installing SIM‑box equipment for mass calling.
- Searches recovered six mini-stations along with phones, laptops and routers, and the suspect was placed in custody.
- At least six victims have been identified in the Novokuznetsk case with losses exceeding 680,000 rubles across St. Petersburg, Kostroma, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo regions.
- In a separate Leningrad region case, a 36-year-old Pikalevo resident allegedly ran a home communications hub that serviced callers from Ukraine, with two GSM gateways and about 240 SIM cards seized.
- Criminal cases were opened under Article 274.3 of the Russian Criminal Code, possible fraud charges are being assessed, and authorities are working to identify additional participants and victims.