A Ukrainian man reported a fictitious murder in the hope that the police would clear his snow-covered road by coming to arrest him, regional authorities told AFP on Monday.
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Living in the small village of Grybova Roudnia, in north-western Ukraine, he called the police on Saturday evening to tell them that he had killed his mother’s partner by stabbing him.
He then specified that the victim “no longer showed signs of life,” explained Yulia Kovtoun, spokesperson for the Cherniguiv police.
The man added that the police had better come with a snowplow, because “it was not possible to reach his house otherwise,” Kovtoun added.
As in much of Ukraine, the region has suffered heavy snowfall in recent days and the white coat has exceeded 50 centimeters.
Arrived aboard an all-terrain, the police discovered that the alleged victim was “safe and sound and that no one had attacked her”, continued the spokesperson.
The road in question had been cleared of snow in the morning, according to local authorities. But the bogus killer said he was unhappy with the quality of the snow removal and hoped the police would finish the job, Kovtoun said.
He risks a fine equivalent to 3.5 euros maximum for abusive appeal, according to the same source.
Located at the gateway to the European Union, Ukraine, a former Soviet republic of 40 million inhabitants, is considered one of the poorest countries in Europe.
Public services, often criticized, are sorely lacking in resources.