18 May, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. A former section head of the Vitebsk Grain Processing Plant has been stealing grain from the enterprise for over a year. This was announced today at a briefing by Vadim Tolpinets, Deputy Head of the 1st Department of the 9th Directorate (for Vitebsk Region) of the Main Directorate for Combating Organised Crime and Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus. During the verification of operational information on product theft, the Directorate's officers apprehended a criminal group of six people, residents of Vitebsk and Horadok, red-handed as they attempted to steal over four tonnes of grain from the warehouse of the Horadok Grain Reception Section of OJSC "Vitebsk Grain Processing Plant". Among those detained were a security guard and the former head of this section, born in 1984. "The roles of the group members are being clarified. It is assumed that the former manager acted as the organiser of the thefts, the crimes were committed during the shift of the security guard who is part of the criminal group, and the other participants performed the functions of loaders," noted Vadim Tolpinets. According to available information, the perpetrators operated throughout 2011-2012, stealing about 30 tonnes of oats worth over Br20 million during this period, which they subsequently sold in Russia. The Horadok District Department of the Investigative Committee for Vitebsk Region has initiated a criminal case under Part 2 of Article 205 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (theft committed by a group of persons), which provides for a penalty of up to 4 years of imprisonment. An investigation is underway.-0-

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