Russian Investigation Committee and Federal Security Service (FSB) officials are searching the offices of police officials suspected in a gambling ring court case, a police source said.
The searches are part of a probe into a gambling ring case that was opened in February when police uncovered an illegal casino outside Moscow. Casino owner Ivan Nazarov, his assistants, and three policemen, who were "covering" the illegal business, were accused of fraud and are in police custody until August 15 during the investigations.
Investigators and security services are searching the offices of police officials in the Moscow region, the source said without elaborating what they were looking for.
Nine police officers, including two from the so-called K-directorate responsible for IT crimes, were arrested in February while two top prosecutors involved in the case were put on a wanted list.
Illegal casinos have mushroomed across Russia since a law came into force in July 2009 banning gambling everywhere except in four remote gaming zones.
