“Investigators of the MIA General Investigation Administration and of the Criminal Investigation Administration of the MIA General Administration for the Kemerovo Region with the assistance of Rosgvardiya SWAT held a series of activities on the territory of Krasnoyarsk and Tomsk. In these cities, the police detained two women suspected of committing a series of crimes stipulated by Art. 159 ‘Fraud’ of the Russian Criminal Code. During the search of the homes of suspects there were seized cash and a large number of gold jewelry that could be received by criminal means,” said the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia Irina Volk.

The suspects were detained as a result of investigation and search operations.

Some of the victims - two elderly women residents of the city of Yurga, the Kemerovo region - already identified the false healers. From one of them, under the pretext of removing a curse the offenders stole more than 30 000, and from the second - about 250 000 rubles.

According to investigators, the accomplices acted within the following scheme: One of them played the role of a healer, and the second - of a grateful client, rescued from a deadly disease. They came up with various methods of deception - used white paper sheets on which after certain manipulations there became visible certain crosses, needles that loomed in the hands of the victims, and so on. The fraudster imposing the healer, used to get acquainted in the street with pensioners and informed them that they had a deadly curse, and than offered a free removal of the curse. Her accomplice posed as a grateful client and informed that all her hardships had remained in the past. Pensioners believed the performance and agreed to the treatment. For “healing” the elderly had to bring all of their savings. Thus tricking pensioners the offenders stole money.

At present, the police have established the involvement of the detainees in crimes committed in the Kemerovo region (2 episodes), Tomsk (1) Irkutsk (1), Krasnoyarsk (6) and Yekaterinburg (1). In the near future, the suspects will be delivered to these cities to participate in the investigation. The Police check the false healers for involvement in similar offenses.

At the request of the investigator of the General Investigation Administration of the MIA General Administration for the Kemerovo Region, the Central District Court of Kemerovo took a decision on the placement of the offenders into custody.