The police arrested 24 suspects as a result of searches carried out in a number of localities and in national jails on November 23. Nineteen prisoners are investigated in a case of swindle with alleged sales of cars imported from Europe that has been investigated since last September. The caused damage was estimated at about 2 million lei.
The suspects created accounts on announcement websites, posted photos with cars taken from websites of European states and offered them for sale, posing as intermediaries. They asked for advances of €1,500 to €3,000 lei from clients. Some of the buyers were swindled out of even €9,000. Later, the swindlers removed the announcements and gave up the mobile phone numbers.
In a news conference, deputy head of the General Police Inspectorate Lilian Carabeț said that most of the 24 suspects aren’t working and have a criminal record. The discovered 25 episodes were merged into one case started over swindle committed by a criminal group in considerable amounts. About 60 searches were carried out yesterday, including in prisons. A sum of 635,000 lei has been seized so far.
Liuba Jignea-Suveica, vice director of the National Administration of Penitentiaries, said the identified schemes do not involve employees of penitentiaries. As to the way in which the perpetrators obtained phones and other objects that are banned in jails, she noted that if such items are found, internal inquiries are conducted to determine how these were acquired.
The suspects face maximum jails terms of 15 years for swindle.
