The key facts

  • 23 foreigners working in an illegal call center were detained in the Tepa mahalla of the Yakkasaray district
  • 80 phones, 21 laptops, 6 routers and 22 passports were seized; $27,900 was transacted through crypto exchanges
  • The case was opened under Article 278-8 of the Criminal Code (illegal circulation of crypto assets)

Raid in the Yakkasaray district

The Main Department of Internal Affairs of Tashkent detained a group, engaged in fraud through an illegal call center housed in a private house in the Tepa mahalla of the Yakkasaray district. The O’zbekiston 24 TV channel reported this, andthe press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan published footage from the operation (Gazeta.Ru). During the raid, 23 foreigners were found who had been living in Uzbekistan without permits and taking part in fraudulent schemes.

How the call center was uncovered

According to O’zbekiston 24, a local prevention inspector was the first to notice suspicious activity: he paid attention to a person leaving a house registered as vacant and decided to talk to him about changing the housing status. Group members offered the inspector a $1,000 bribe, but he refused and initiated the raid. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan also reported that one of the suspected organizers tried to bribe police officers to avoid inspection.

What was seized and what case was opened

Officers of the cybercrime unit found 80 mobile phones, 21 laptops, 6 Wi-Fi routers and 22 passports during the search. According to Spot.uz, group members carried out illegal transactions worth $27,900 (329.6 million soums) through crypto exchanges. The investigative department of the Yakkasaray district opened a case under Article 278-8 of the Criminal Code (illegal circulation of crypto assets); the investigation is ongoing.

Context: this is not the first such case

Gazeta.Ru, citing the investigation, specifies that three of the detainees rented the house and set up the call center, installing equipment for cryptocurrency operations; victims of personal data extortion could have included not only Uzbekistan residents but also people from other countries. This incident fits into a series of recent cases: in mid-October the SGB and the police department of the Syrdarya region shut down another illegal call center in Tashkent, where, according to law enforcement, an employee of the cybersecurity department of a major bank was involved, and thefts from bank cards exceeded $8 million. The difference in the new raid is that the suspects are foreigners who were in the country illegally, and the case was opened specifically under the