Police in Russia and Belarus have detained 15 members of a syndicate accused of illegally selling apartments belonging to deceased Moscow residents using forged passports.
Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs official representative Irina Volk announced through MVD Media that law enforcement officers apprehended four suspected organizers and 11 accomplices involved in the operation.
According to law enforcement, the four alleged ringleaders include one native of Voronezh Oblast and three foreign citizens. All four primary suspects have been formally arrested and remanded in custody as legal proceedings move forward.
The suspects face multiple criminal counts under Articles 30, 159, 174.1, 210 and 327 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which cover attempted crimes, fraud, laundering of illegally obtained funds, organizing a criminal enterprise and document forgery.
Fraud scheme targeted unclaimed Moscow properties
Investigative authorities stated that between 2023 and 2025, the network searched for residential properties across Moscow whose legal owners had died. The group specifically targeted flats where no legal heirs existed or where relatives had failed to claim their inheritance rights within the timeframe established by Russian law.
Once a target apartment was identified, syndicate members allegedly used counterfeit passports and fake powers of attorney to transfer ownership of the real estate to proxy individuals under their control. The properties were then quickly sold on the open market.
Preliminary evidence gathered by investigators links the detained group to at least 17 separate criminal incidents. Police estimate that the total material damage caused by the property fraud scheme exceeds 150 million rubles.
Background on Moscow property fraud investigations
The Ministry of Internal Affairs, known as the MVD, serves as Russia's primary federal law enforcement agency overseeing police forces and major criminal investigations. Fraud schemes involving vacant urban housing often exploit administrative gaps during probate, particularly in high value real estate markets such as Moscow. Voronezh Oblast, where one of the alleged ringleaders originates, is a regional territory located in southwestern Russia.
The announcement comes amid broader law enforcement scrutiny of real estate theft in the capital. Russian media previously reported that a former employee of the Canadian consulate in Moscow also lost her apartment in a property scam.
Police said investigations into the full scope of the syndicate's operations and any additional accomplices remain ongoing.
