Kazakh man extorted money via video call while in prison

Tengrinews.kz – A convict serving his sentence in a penal colony took part in extorting money from two residents of Petropavlovsk. He was given an additional prison term for the new crime, citing the Cassation Court for Criminal Cases.

According to the case materials, several men held two people in a sauna in Petropavlovsk and demanded money from them, threatening them with physical violence. At the same time, their accomplice, who was already serving a sentence in a penal colony, joined by video call and also put pressure on the victims.

As a result, the victims took out loans for 300,000 and 145,000 tenge. According to the case materials, this money was obtained through extortion.

The convict’s involvement was confirmed by the victims’ testimony, correspondence with one of the accomplices in which they discussed details of the crime, mobile operator data and bank transactions.

For extortion, the court of first instance sentenced the man to three years in prison. However, the final sentence amounted to eight years, since he committed the new crime while serving a sentence under a 2011 verdict, which had sentenced him to 21 years and nine months in prison.

The Cassation Court found the convict’s guilt proven and upheld the decisions of the local courts.

The sentences received by his accomplices were not reported.