MOSCOW, July 31 (RIA Novosti) – Police have detained four members of a gang that allegedly killed and robbed a man they lured through an online dating site, an Investigative Committee spokeswoman said Wednesday.
The group, which comprised three “unemployed” men and a woman, are suspected of killing a 23-year-old Muscovite earlier this month to steal his car and other valuables, spokeswoman Irina Gumennaya said.
According to investigators cited by online newspaper Gazeta.ru, the woman would post seductive comments on casual-sex site Chpoking.ru, inviting men to a place just outside Moscow where they were then attacked and robbed.
The alleged criminals were particularly interested in expensive cars, which they subsequently disassembled and sold for spare parts, the investigative spokeswoman said.
It was not immediately clear how many men had been robbed through the scheme, but authorities believe that only one man was killed.
Investigators were able to track down the gang by studying the dead man’s correspondence and identifying the woman through her online account.
Detectives put her under surveillance and then detained the gang in a special operation using a potential suitor – a man with a Mercedes – as bait, Gazeta.ru reported.
All four suspects are in their 20s and come from different parts of Russia, the Investigative Committee said, adding that one of the suspects had a previous conviction.
