The Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has completed its investigation into a criminal case regarding the creation of and participation in a transnational organised criminal group.
According to Polisia.kz, in August 2023, law enforcement officers in Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Karaganda and Aktobe detained citizens of Kazakhstan and neighbouring countries who, under the guise of a modelling agency, were involved in the production and distribution of intimate materials via Web-Cam.
The criminal scheme involved young women from Kazakhstan aged 18 to 25. The turnover of funds for the criminal group exceeded 3 billion tenge.
21 individuals are implicated in the criminal case, facing penalties of up to 12 years' imprisonment with confiscation of property.
It is noted that police uncovered a similar criminal scheme in December last year.
"Operatives from the Department for Combating Organised Crime, coordinated by the East Kazakhstan Region Prosecutor's Office, simultaneously carried out arrests in 11 regions of the country, bringing in more than 50 individuals involved in this criminal activity. A pre-trial investigation is being conducted into the creation of and participation in an organised criminal group," said Kuandyk Alpys, a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Department for Combating Organised Crime.
It may be recalled that in April 2022, information appeared online about a suspicious minibus in Almaty owned by Fake Taxi LLP. Many were puzzled by the company's name, as it turned out that Fake Taxi is a global brand known for filming porn in a moving car within the city.
As was known at the time, the LLP was registered in Almaty at 127 Rozybakiev Street. Notably, other companies are located at the same address, including those affiliated with Freedom Finance. For example, Agrofinance LLP.
Furthermore, the contact details for Fake Taxi LLP listed two email addresses, one of which bore a resemblance to the email address of Freedom Finance's chief accountant.