Police arrest five for connections with “criminal underworld”

Police have arrested five individuals for connections with the “criminal underworld” in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi and the western Imereti region, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

The Ministry said the individuals were arrested on charges of “arranging of and participation in thief-in-law trials” for resolving financial disputes and receiving personal benefits, “support for activities of the criminal underworld” and group extortion of money.

The body said its investigation had established the individuals had “actively participated” in “various criminal activities”, adding one of the arrested persons had a criminal history.

The involved individuals organised “thief-in-law trials” to resolve a dispute between the arrested individual and another citizen, made decisions and tasked one of the disputing parties to make a payment to the other side, threatening the victim with personal harm in case of disobedience, the body noted.

Law enforcement officers seized phones used by the group for communication between each other in their search of the individuals and their residential houses.

The crimes are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.