A criminal group involved in the illegal registration of vehicles has been uncovered in Almaty.
According to Polisia.kz, members of the group altered unique vehicle codes and registered cars using forged documents.
"As a result of operational activities, the operation of an underground workshop for altering VIN codes was documented. More than 150 illegally registered vehicles were identified," the statement reads.
Furthermore, police established the involvement of Specialised Service Centre (SpecTsON) employees and so-called 'intermediaries' in the criminal scheme.
"Up to 50 cars were registered under a single front person. 17 suspects have been detained. Physical evidence has been seized. An inspection is ongoing together with the security service of the joint-stock company," said Kuandyk Alpys, a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Department for Combating Organised Crime.
The preliminary damage exceeds 320 million tenge. Law enforcement authorities are investigating 17 criminal cases related to fraud, database information tampering, and forgery of vehicle identification numbers.
Recall that in April, the Financial Monitoring Agency department for the Kostanay region initiated a pre-trial investigation into the registration of 83 heavy goods vehicles without payment of the fee for their initial registration. Damage to the state amounted to 591 million tenge.
At the same time, the Anti-Corruption Service identified corruption risks in vehicle registration and driver's licence issuance at the country's Specialised Service Centres. Employees of the agency entered false data and issued forged documents.
In May, employees of Specialised Service Centres, police officers, and civilians involved in the illegal registration of cars imported from abroad without payment of duties and fees were convicted in Astana.
In July, Financial Monitoring Agency staff identified a group of individuals who were illegally registering vehicles from far abroad. From June to August 2021, the suspects carried out the illegal initial registration of more than 150 trucks in the Pavlodar region.
In October, the former head of a Specialised Service Centre and the deputy head of a Service Centre were detained on suspicion of illegally registering trucks in the Karaganda region. Damage to the state exceeded 315 million tenge.