Bulgarian police have publicized carrying out a "special operation" against an extortion group just at a time when a police brutality scandal has raised calls for senior resignations within the Ministry of Interior.

Ever since the taking over of Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov, the Bulgarian police has become notorious with inventing spectacular codenames for its many special ops, but this time it has surpassed itself by coining a exuberantly over-the-top appellation.

The special operation, carried out in Bulgarian capital Sofia, was codenamed RALICA. The acronym is a popular Bulgarian female name, and also a traditional name for the Orion constellation.

As an abbreviation, it translates to "Racketeering, Greed, Hypocrisy, Extortion, Cynicism and Anarchy", according to an official Interior Ministry press release.

In the operation, 4 men were arrested in Bulgarian capital Sofia upon receiving the amount of BGN 3,000 from a Sofia resident, who had filed a signal with the police that he is being blackmailed.

All of the arrested - 3 in their 20s, and one in his 30 - have previous criminal records, in some cases for felonies such as murder and robbery.

A number of wireless communication devices have been uncovered at the car they were driving.

The operation was carried out by members of elite police Counterterrorism and Operational units.

At the same time, a recent case of police brutality, in which heavily armed anti-crime police arrested and beat a family, only to uncover 5 packs of bootleg cigarettes at their home, sparked controversy and led to calls for resignations at the Ministry, including that of Minister Tsvetanov.

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