Authorities bust criminal gang extorting money at Tashkent’s Farhod auto market

A criminal group consisting of 12 individuals has been neutralized at the Farhod Street auto parts market in the Uchtepa district of Tashkent, according to a report from the State Security Service (SSS).

According to the report, the group members provided unauthorized technical services by installing equipment in customers’ vehicles without their prior consent or approval. Following this, they demanded $13,300 from the customer — despite the market value of the service being around $600 — through acts of extortion. When the customer objected, they resorted to threats and intimidation.

In another similar case, the group installed various spare parts in another vehicle without the owner's permission and demanded payment at triple the normal price. It was discovered that they confiscated the customer's car keys and used coercion to extort 15 million UZS.

Moreover, the group took 70 million UZS from two more victims under the pretense of equipping their vehicles with additional parts, but never delivered on their promises.

It was noted that most members of the criminal group were born in Tashkent, Kashkadarya, and Surkhandarya regions, and many of them had prior criminal convictions.

A criminal case has been initiated under Articles 165 (Extortion) and 168 (Fraud) of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code. The detainees have been placed in pre-trial detention as a precautionary measure.