Phantom children — border guards detain two pseudo-fathers in Odesa region

Two men tried to pose as parents with many children in order to travel abroad. When the deception was revealed, they tried to "solve the issue" with a bribe.

This was reported by the South Regional Department of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

Doubtful certificates

At the Starokozache checkpoint, a 41-year-old man presented children's birth certificates, allegedly issued in Azerbaijan, for inspection. The border control officer discovered that two of them were forged. The traveler then attempted to "settle the matter" by offering the border officer $500.

Suspicious passport

Another 57-year-old "father of many children" was detained at the Palanka-Maiaky-Udobne checkpoint. The passport he provided is listed in the database as stolen or lost. The man claimed that he knew nothing about it and offered border guards a $500 bribe.

What awaits violators

In both cases, the border guards refused the money. Information about the violators was handed over to the police. It should be noted that offering a bribe to a public official is punishable by a fine ranging from 8500 UAH to 12700 UAH, or by restriction of freedom for two to four years, or imprisonment for the same term. Additionally, forging documents can result in a fine of up to 17 thousand UAH or two years of restricted freedom or probationary supervision.

As a reminder, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, a man arranged a fake marriage to travel abroad, and in the Zakarpattia region, a conscript "transformed" into a girl from Odesa.