A resident of Samara stole nearly 900,000 hryvnias from the card of a mother whose son is a missing soldier (PHOTO).

Investigators in the city of Samara have established the involvement of a 26-year-old local resident in the theft of money from the card of the mother of a military personnel who has been missing without a trace. This was reported by "Vydomo" citing the Main Directorate of the National Police in Dnipropetrovsk Region.

In early November, a 67-year-old victim approached the Novomoskovsk District Police Department. The woman reported that after receiving a statement from the bank regarding her account, she discovered a significant amount of money was missing.

During the investigation, law enforcement officials found that in late summer 2023, the victim, lacking skills in using mobile applications, sought help from her friend’s husband to set up and configure internet banking on her phone. The man agreed to assist, but was taken aback by the amounts of money involved and decided to commit the crime secretly.

To avoid drawing attention, the acquaintance devised various reasons to use the victim's phone when she visited. Having obtained the login and password, the perpetrator transferred amounts ranging from 5,000 to 40,000 hryvnias to his accounts each time. Investigators identified 41 instances of the clandestine theft of funds from the victim's card, which the thief executed over the course of a year. In total, he unlawfully acquired funds from state payments amounting to over 870,000 hryvnias.

On January 16, during a search of the suspect's home, police discovered cash, bank cards, mobile phones, a laptop, and fiscal receipts for the purchase of gold items and furniture. The seized items were placed under arrest.

On January 17 and 19, under the procedural guidance of the Novomoskovsk District Prosecutor's Office, investigators informed the man of his suspicion under part 4 of Article 185 (theft committed repeatedly under martial law) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The sanctions of the article provide for a maximum penalty of imprisonment for up to 8 years. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.