The Bitola police, along with the Criminal Police Department of the Public Security Bureau, filed a criminal complaint with the Bitola Prosecutor’s Office against four suspects – V.P. (40) from the village of Stenje, Resen, G.M. (54) residing in Skopje, one currently unknown perpetrator, and V.M. (51) from Ohrid.
Three of them are charged with fraud, while the fourth is suspected of aiding in the fraud.
The case concerns the well-known telephone trick with fake traffic accidents and seriously injured relatives.
On February 5, 2026, on Mavrovo street in Bitola, the suspects deceived a 72-year-old woman. They convinced her that her daughter-in-law was seriously injured and that money and gold were urgently needed for surgery. The frightened woman handed over gold jewelry to the first suspect, who later handed it over to the second suspect. The damage in this case amounts to about MKD 40,000.
Just one day later, on February 6, at the Clock Tower in Bitola, a 76-year-old woman and her husband were defrauded in the same way. About MKD 430,000 were taken from them.
According to the investigation, between November 2025 and February 21, 2026, the second suspect and the fourth suspect transferred the money obtained from the frauds to Bulgaria, namely to Sofia, where they handed it over to the third person. They kept some of the money for themselves.
The investigators determined that the group obtained illegal property benefits of about MKD 3,700,000 through such frauds in several cities across the country.
A judge in a preliminary procedure at the Bitola Basic Court ordered an eight-day detention for G.M., while the prime suspect is already in custody.
