Tashkent police official caught accepting bribe to drop fraud and workplace accident cases

The operation was conducted jointly by officers from the State Security Service, the Main Bureau of Internal Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Tashkent City Prosecutor's Office, according to the SSS press service.

Investigators established that the high-ranking officer promised a business owner that he could leverage his connections with influential officials to secure a favorable outcome in an ongoing fraud case. He demanded $7,000 to resolve the matter.

In addition to this arrangement, the suspect demanded an extra $500 to shut down a separate criminal investigation. That second case involved a fire at a restaurant owned by the entrepreneur, which had resulted in a worker suffering severe burns.

Law enforcement personnel intervened during a controlled drop, arresting the officer as he received an advance payment of $2,500. The cash was seized at the scene as material evidence.

A criminal case has been officially launched against the detained officer, and active investigative proceedings are currently underway to determine the full scope of the extortion scheme.