Lipetsk police have opened seven criminal cases under Article 159, Part 2 of the Russian Criminal Code, "Fraud," against the travel agency "Sinyaya Ptitsa."
As reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Lipetsk Region, between November 2018 and May 2019, the Blue Bird travel agency entered into contracts for the provision of tourism services and, through fraud, obtained funds from residents of the Lipetsk region in the total amount of over 500 thousand rubles.
"The company's management promised to organize excursions and tourist trips for the victims, but failed to fulfill its contractual obligations to the clients. A range of investigative measures and investigations are currently underway to establish all the circumstances of the crime and document the suspects' illegal activities. Penalties under these articles of the Russian Criminal Code carry a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison," the department said in a statement.
In addition, police have information that there may be more victims.
"Police officers ask anyone who has suffered from similar actions by the Blue Bird travel agency to contact their nearest local police station or report the information by calling 02," the Ministry of Internal Affairs added.
Source: trn-news.ru