The regional Department of Internal Affairs said authorities opened a criminal case under Article 168 (Fraud), detained six suspects, and continued the investigation.
The department said the suspects posted online advertisements offering interest-free loans and invited interested citizens to pre-rented luxury offices. They allegedly offered to arrange loans in the citizens’ names and then took a portion of the funds disbursed by banks.
The suspects allegedly promised citizens that they could arrange UZS 100 million loans in their names, give them UZS 50 million and keep the remaining UZS 50 million for the company, while covering the monthly repayments themselves. They assured the citizens that they would not face any problems, the department said.
Citizens trusted the promises and applied for the loans using their phones. More than 400 citizens ended up with loans in their names, while the suspects allegedly took half of the funds disbursed. The total amount involved was nearly UZS 17 billion, the department said.
After some time, banks began sending citizens demands to repay the loan debt. During pre-investigation checks and operational activities, police detained six members of the group as suspects and placed them in custody. The investigation continues.
