Two men have been detained in Saint Petersburg after allegedly defrauding a victim of more than 12 million rubles.
The suspects promised to secure the victim a senior leadership position in a law enforcement agency, according to the regional management of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
Regional investigators confirmed on August 20, 2026, that a criminal case has been opened under Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which covers fraud committed on an especially large scale.
Fake law enforcement connections
According to the investigation, the two suspects first met the victim in January 2021. They convinced him that one of them was an active law enforcement officer with extensive official connections capable of arranging high level job appointments.
The men met the victim at an office on Bolshoy Prospect on the Petrograd Side in Saint Petersburg, where they fraudulently accepted more than 12 million rubles in exchange for the promised position.
Following the payment, the suspects repeatedly assured the victim that his official appointment was forthcoming, continuing the deception over five years until their arrest in August 2026.
Residential searches and legal proceedings
Officers from the Investigative Committee, working alongside personnel from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, subsequently executed search warrants at the residential addresses of both suspects.
Authorities have officially charged both suspects with large scale fraud. Legal officials are currently deciding on an appropriate preventive measure to detain the men during proceedings.
Investigative Committee personnel stated that they are continuing to gather evidence to determine all the circumstances surrounding the crime.
Law enforcement context and related fraud cases
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation functions as the primary federal agency responsible for investigating serious criminal offenses and corruption, while the Ministry of Internal Affairs operates the state police force. Bolshoy Prospect is a prominent commercial avenue located in the historic Petrogradsky District of Saint Petersburg, Russia's second largest city.
The arrests follow another recent fraud case reported in Russia, in which a Moscow pensioner lost more than 21 million rubles to financial scammers.
