Moscow cameras streamed false pictures
Published 13 January, 2010, 08:52
Edited 02 February, 2010, 05:00
Police have learned that CCTV cameras all across Moscow streamed prerecorded pictures, while the company servicing them received more than a million dollars in payments.
The company, StroyMontageService, has been accused of security fraud. Police have detained its director, Dmitry Kudryavtsev, who denies all charges saying the scandal is an attempt by his rivals to squeeze him out of the market.
The alleged fraud was uncovered during a routine check of Moscow CCTV cameras.
“From May to September 2009 CCTV cameras in several districts of Moscow streamed pre-recorded pictures instead of real-time video,” police spokeswoman Olga Dumalkina stated on Tuesday.
According to the contract with StroyMontageService, the Moscow government only paid for working cameras. Dumalkina said the company unreasonably received around one million dollars for the northeastern district alone.
Investigators say apart from falsifying pictures the company also distributed a computer virus in order to obstruct activities of its rival in the western district of the capital.
There are more than 80,000 security cameras in public places in Moscow. The project was launched several years ago by Mayor Yury Luzhkov at a cost of 17 million dollars.
discuss it Show comments (3)
