A suspect has been detained in Fergana on suspicion of illegally trading large volumes of cryptocurrency and misappropriating donations raised for seriously ill people, the Interior Ministry's Department for Combating Cybercrime said.
The suspect, 19, repeatedly violated Uzbekistan's regulations on crypto-asset trading, the department said. The cryptocurrency traded illegally was worth more than $408,000, or about 4.89 billion soums.
As the inquiry progressed, it emerged that the suspect had also been defrauding people under a scheme of their own devising, appropriating the money for personal gain. The scheme targeted donations from people who had appealed for help on social media because of serious health problems.
The suspect said the money was spent directly on online betting and lost.
A criminal case has been opened against the suspect under Article 168 of the Criminal Code (Fraud), Part 3, clauses "b" and "c," and Article 278-8 (Violation of regulations on crypto-asset circulation), Part 3, clause "a."
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