In Zhytomyr region, a 19-year-old young man stole state benefits intended for the mother of a missing soldier.

In Zhytomyr region, law enforcement suspects a 19-year-old young man of stealing state benefits intended for the mother of a missing serviceman. This was reported on Friday, January 3, by the Office of the Prosecutor General and National Police.

According to the investigation, the 52-year-old mother of the missing serviceman rented a house from the young man. The tenant approached the homeowner for assistance in dealing with a bank account where state financial aid for her missing son was expected. Upon learning that the woman was receiving government payments, he decided to deceive her. After obtaining her bank card details, the young man installed an online banking app on his mobile phone and began misappropriating the funds at his discretion.

“To conceal his illegal activities, the suspect made transfers to the bank cards of acquaintances, asking them to make purchases at the store while he was busy or under other pretenses. He also borrowed a payment method from a friend, to which he made several transfers as well,” the National Police reported.

According to law enforcement, the young man conducted a total of 20 transactions, misappropriating nearly 100,000 UAH in state aid. Later, the woman noticed the missing funds and reported it to the police. Investigators traced the banking operations carried out by the young man and announced suspicions against him for theft, legalization of property obtained by criminal means, and unauthorized interference in the operation of information systems (part 4 of Article 185, part 1 of Article 209, part 1 of Article 361 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The suspect faces a penalty of up to eight years in prison and confiscation of property.