Chechen police allegedly bust fake ID ring(Prague Watchdog) - The Interior Ministry of the Chechen Republic today announced that its special police (OMON) discovered a place where Chechen guerrillas printed fake identity documents.
The police reportedly found their printing equipment in a cellar of a private house in the Leninsky district of Grozny on the night between Monday and Tuesday. An above-ground part of the house is rented by a Czech NGO that runs a women's education center there.
One Chechen guerrilla was killed and two Chechen policemen wounded during the special operation. The police found two grenade launchers, several mines, and other weapons and ammunition in the cellar.
Marek Vozka, the head of the North Caucasus mission of the Czech relief agency People in Need, said that none of their Czech employees was present in the house during the raid and that he was totally surprised to hear the news about the printing equipment and weapons.
"For the time being, we don't know what could have happened there." Only a night watchman stays overnight in the house, Vozka said today.
Fake documents are widespread in Chechnya. They are used not only by Chechen guerrillas to fight Russian and Moscow-backed Chechen forces, but also by criminals as well as members of various security services.
Editor's note of December 23: On Wednesday, the Interior Ministry of the Chechen Republic announced it only found one or two dozen fake documents along with the weapons and did not confirm, deny, or comment on its Tuesday's announcement that an underground printing press had been found there. (T)
DISCUSSION FORUM
|
