Law enforcement officers tracked down a blackmail scam involving inmates of Cricova penitentiary. Three prisoners demanded that another inmate pay over 33,000 lei after playing cards for money. Part of the amount was transferred to bank accounts by relatives of the blackmailed man. Before making another transfer, they filed a complaint with the police, IPN reports.

According to the General Police Inspectorate, the three detainees beat the inmate and forced him to play cards for money, despite the ban imposed in the penitentiary. Thus, in the course of this year, the individuals obtained, by bank transfer, over 23,000 lei as the first installment from the relatives of the blackmailed person. The second transfer of over 10,000 lei followed, for the common budget of the organized criminal group to which the three detainees belonged. However, one of the relatives of the blackmailed man, who worked outside the country and transferred money at the man’s request, filed a complaint when returning to Moldova.

During searches on the three convicts, mobile phones and phone cards that allegedly were used in the blackmail scam were seized. A card was swallowed by one of the three inmates. There were also found substances that are prohibited in the penitentiary. These are yet to be examined.

The blackmailed man was transferred to another penitentiary in order to ensure his safety. The three detainees, aged 24, 28 and 36, will be moved from Cricova penitentiary to a prison in Chisinau for further investigations. The individuals serve sentences for murder and causing of bodily harm that led to death. The detainee with the longest sentence, of 17 years, was convicted in 2011 and within the criminal group played the unofficial role of “superintendent” of a residential block in the penitentiary, police sources said.