Eight arrested in 'Vector' operation: Hundreds of thousands of convertible marks in illicit property gains

(Patria) - Police officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, under the supervision of the District Public Prosecutor's Office in Trebinje, are conducting an operational action "Vector" during which eight persons have been deprived of liberty, and searches have been carried out at 25 locations used by 26 persons in the areas of Foča, Han Pijesak and East Sarajevo due to the existence of grounds for suspicion that they have committed the criminal offenses of "Fraud", "Money Laundering" and "Extortion" through social networks.

The persons are suspected of committing the aforementioned criminal offenses from October 2020 to date by advertising on social media profiles that they possess information about fixed sports competitions, and then, through communication applications, they contacted damaged persons from North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France and other countries, and by falsely presenting and concealing facts, they misled them into believing that they possessed information about fixed sports matches and induced them to deposit money through money transfer services for alleged betting.

Also, using threats, the suspects committed extortion with the aim of forcing the damaged parties to deposit additional money.

The illicit property gains resulting from the commission of these criminal offenses amount to several hundred thousand convertible marks.

The persons deprived of liberty will be handed over to the District Public Prosecutor's Office in Trebinje after criminal processing, and a report will be filed against all 26 persons for the committed criminal offenses.