Police crash robbery gang in Primorsky Territory
VLADIVOSTOK. March 28 (Interfax) - A criminal case on "banditry" charges has been opened in the Primorsky Territory against detained members of a criminal group which committed armed robberies on offices, the Russian Interior Ministry's Main Directorate for the Far East District said on Friday.
"In all, three group members were arrested: the organizer and two accomplices. The former is being charged under Article 209 part one of the Russian Criminal Code (setting up a stable armed group (gang); his accomplices, under Article 209 part two of the Russian Criminal Code (gang membership)," the spokesperson said.
The gang was set up and led by a 29-year-old man from the town of Artyom. Two of his friends, aged 27 and 21, helped him attack offices and individuals. All three have criminal record. They had masks, a gas pistol, ammunition, bats and tire irons.
The gang committed a series of brazen robbery attacks, the police said.
"During one of the attacks the criminals hit a security guard in the head, handcuffed him to a radiator and stole a safety locker containing a large amount of cash from an office. In another case, they threatened a security guard with a weapon and hit him several times with a tire iron," the Russian Far East's chief investigator Aleksandr Ilyin was quoted as saying.
All the attacks were carefully planned.