"He owed me money" – In Navoiy, a person who defrauded the relatives of deceased individuals and extorted money from them has been criminally prosecuted
A 24-year-old young man in the Karmana district obtained information about the deceased from a Telegram group where funeral announcements are posted, and tracked down their relatives. He then claimed that the deceased had borrowed money while they were alive and attempted to collect these funds. However, after several such instances, his actions were exposed.
“He owed me money” – In Navoiy, a person who defrauded the relatives of deceased individuals to extort money has been criminally punished
In the Karmana district, a person who attempted to obtain money by deceiving the relatives of deceased individuals has been held criminally liable.
According to the court decision, 24-year-old A.S. planned to extort money from the relatives of deceased individuals by obtaining information about them from a Telegram group where funeral announcements are posted. On April 22, he read a funeral announcement about B.O., who lived in the Kalovot neighborhood of the Karmana district. After that, he found the phone number of the deceased's brother, J.N.
A.S. then called the deceased's brother. During the conversation, he claimed that the deceased had borrowed $100 while alive and asked for this amount to be transferred to his bank card. However, J.N. did not transfer the requested money.
Additionally, A.S. read a funeral announcement about J.H., who lived in the Mir Said Bahrom neighborhood of the district, and found the phone number the deceased had used while alive. He then called that number. The deceased's mother answered the call. A.S. told her as well that her son had borrowed $100 while alive. Believing his words, the mother transferred 1.2 million soums to his bank card. A.S. spent this money on his personal needs.
A.S. fully confessed his guilt in court and stated that he committed these acts because he was in need of money.
“I heard the news about B.O.'s death. The idea arose to find his close relatives and get money from them by claiming that the deceased had a debt. I found the phone number of the deceased's brother. I told him that I was an acquaintance of the deceased, that I was engaged in trade, and that the deceased owed me $100. I stated that I needed this money urgently and asked him to give it to me.
The deceased's brother asked which shop I traded in and said he would meet with me in person and then give the money. At that moment, not knowing what to answer to his questions, I hung up the phone.”
The defendant also stated that in the second case, he asked for money from the deceased's mother in the same manner, extorted 1.2 million soums, and spent this money on his needs.
A.S. expressed remorse for his actions and asked the court for leniency.
By the verdict of the Karmana District Criminal Court dated August 7, 2024, A.S. was found guilty of committing the crimes stipulated in Article 25,168 (attempted fraud), Part 1, and Article 168 (fraud), Part 3, Paragraph "b" of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to 2.5 years of correctional labor, with 20 percent of his wages withheld for state revenue.