A policeman and a man with a long rap sheet with the police have been arrested for fraud in Bulgaria, reports say.
The two went to an Arab salesman and told him that they were on a special police mission and had to take his Mitsubishi to the department for investigation, Trud daily reported. The car had been involved in an accident three weeks before that and it was needed for processing.
The man signed the form they gave him, stating that he had willingly provided his vehicle to the police. Then the two swindlers told him that in order to avoid misunderstandings and delays, he should pay them EUR 1,000 to ensure his car would be returned in three days' time.
The gullible foreigner only had EUR 250 with him but gave them to the "authorities", with a promise to pay the rest later. The two took the money and the car and sped away.
Soon after the salesman realised that he had probably been too trusting and called the police. When they caught the crooks, they realized that one of them was actually a fellow policeman.
The two resisted the arrest and authorities had to use physical force and handcuffs to subdue them. The policeman's badge was found on him, along with his gun and a cell phone with three different SIM cards.
The arrested policeman used to hold inquests at a district Sofia police department. He was investigated for corruption, but nothing was proven. Other complaints against him piled up, and he was reassigned to the Vratsa department in the north of Bulgaria, to work as a doorman. His criminal friend is also from Vratsa and has a long rap sheet.