In Dushanbe, officers from the city police, prosecutor’s office, and customs service have detained three Pakistani nationals suspected of fraud and the illegal export of foreign currency, the press center of the Dushanbe Police Directorate reported yesterday.

The detainees, identified as Abdullah Mohammad, 53, Ismail Mohammad, 50, and Yasin Mohammad, 44, allegedly deceived Tajik citizens by selling two kilograms of counterfeit coins as gold, demanding 34,000 US dollars for them.

After obtaining the money, the suspects planned to take the currency out of Tajikistan but were apprehended during operational search activities.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against the under the provisions of three articles of Tajikistan’s Penal Code: Article 247 – fraud; Article 32 – preparation for a crime and attempted crime; and Article 289 – production or sale of counterfeit credit or payment cards or other payment documents.  An investigation is under way.