To organize intrigues: who will be responsible for the alleged abduction of a schoolgirl in Achinsk

The schoolgirl from the city of Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory, who staged her abduction, will not be held responsible, lawyers believe. The girl acted on a tip from scammers, the Investigative Committee told Izvestia. For her "release", the criminals demanded a ransom of 500 thousand rubles. The investigators realized that the situation was staged after analyzing the video that the teenager shot for her father at the cemetery, in which she stated both the kidnapping and the ransom demand. But the girl was alone at the filming location, and she arrived there alone, too. The missing woman was found in a neighboring town: her whereabouts were reported by the father of a friend of the schoolgirl, with whom she tried to spend the night.

How they were looking for a girl

A search for a missing 15-year-old schoolgirl has been underway in Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory, since March 18. The girl left the house and did not return, and two hours later her father received a message on social networks — on the video his daughter stated that she had been abducted and for her release it was necessary to transfer 500 thousand rubles to a bank account to criminals. The man contacted law enforcement agencies.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko

More than 150 police officers and volunteers were involved in the search for the teenager. A criminal case was opened under the article on the abduction of a minor, and the most experienced employees of the criminal investigation department of the regional Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were sent to Achinsk.

Some time later, the staff of the Investigative Committee established that the girl had visited the cemetery before her disappearance, where she recorded a video message. After examining the filming location, the forensics team found only traces of the missing woman's shoes.

Investigators questioned the taxi driver who brought the schoolgirl to the cemetery. According to him, she got into the car alone, did not talk during the trip, but used headphones and a phone. By this point, law enforcement officials had begun to consider the possibility that the girl had staged her abduction.

A few hours later, she was found in an apartment in the city of Nazarovo, 35 kilometers from Achinsk. Her life and health were not in danger. The owner of the apartment where the schoolgirl was hiding told Izvestia that her son had brought the girl. According to the boy, his friend had not slept for a long time and asked to let her rest at their house.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Zurab Javakhadze

But after the man saw the news about the search for the "girl abducted in Achinsk," he called the police and reported the missing person's whereabouts.

Who will be responsible for the forgery

The neighbors of the schoolgirl, in a conversation with Izvestia, called her well-mannered and friendly.

— We have known the girl for six years, the family is positive. There is always silence, no scandals, swearing," the neighbor said. — She is a very good girl, friendly. I can't say anything bad.

Fraudsters forced the schoolgirl to stage her abduction, the Investigative Committee told Izvestia. The girl explained that, being under the psychological influence of telephone scammers who threatened her with physical violence, she followed their instructions.

The schoolgirl left home, independently recorded a video message at the cemetery, after which, continuing to fulfill the demands of unknown intruders, she took a taxi to the city of Nazarovo. There she went to an Internet cafe and, since she had nowhere to spend the night, she turned to the administrators of the institution for help. They helped her find an apartment to spend the night with one of her friends.

"She followed the instructions of the scammers, they led her, told her where to go, record a video, what to say. She did not understand, it was the scammers who staged her abduction, they dictated to her what to do," the Investigative Committee noted.

If this version is confirmed, the perpetrators could face responsibility in the form of imprisonment for a term of five to 12 years, said Vladimir Kuznetsov, chairman of the All-Russian Trade Union of Mediators.

"But since the minor staged the abduction on her own, one could talk about responsibility for deliberately false denunciation, for which she faces up to two years in prison," he said. — But only a person who has reached the age of 16 can be held accountable for this act, so the heroine of the story will not be subject to criminal liability.

At the same time, a minor may be placed on preventive registration with the police.

Depending on the established circumstances, the investigators will determine the qualification of actions, believes Maria Bakakina, adviser to the criminal law practice at Sokolov, Trusov and Partners. The main articles can be considered: attempted fraud against persons who planned to become the final recipients of funds, threatening to kill or cause serious harm to health, involving a minor in committing a crime, and extortion.

According to the expert, it is too early to draw conclusions about how this situation will be resolved and who exactly will be punished. However, cases related to the disappearance of children, unfortunately, occur with a certain frequency, and this situation cannot be considered exceptional.