KHUJAND, October 3, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- The Sughd police directorate is continuing to receive applications from local residents against a 28-year-old resident of the Bobojonghafurov district, who deceived them, collecting money from them for sending to the United States to study at Denver University (Colorado State).

According to the Sughd police directorate, they received applications from residents of the city of Chkalovsk on September 27.  “They say he has collected totaling 20,000 US dollars from them, promising that he could get study permits to the United States for them,” the source at the Sughd police directorate said, noting that those applications were subjoined to 20 applications received earlier.   

            The young man was detained in mid-September and criminal proceedings were instituted against under the provisions of Article 247, Part 2 of Tajikistan’s Penal Code – fraud.  

            Investigators suppose that he collected money from people from April 2007 to September 2008 and over this period, he could cheated local residents out of $98,000, the source said.  Among the fraud victims are 22 people, including residents of Khujand, Chkalovsk, Bobojonghafurov, Isfara and Dushanbe.