Investigation into Kumanovo loan sharks: suspects accused of extortion and money laundering

Authorities in Kumanovo have opened an investigation into a four-person criminal group accused of extortion and money laundering that targeted vulnerable borrowers since 2021, prosecutors said.

Charges, methods and alleged victims

The probe centers on an organized group led by local resident Dragan Petrovski, known as "Shtuka", who is accused of using violent threats to extort money from people who had taken previous loans and were dependent on the organizers. Prosecutors say the scheme combined intimidation with document forgery and the misuse of victims' bank accounts.

One of the alleged victims took a loan of 4,000 euros from Petrovski and agreed to repay it within a month with 2,500 euros in interest. Although she "repaid the agreed amount in full," prosecutors say Petrovski then asked her to let him use her bank account to funnel money obtained by extortion into circulation; when she refused, he began threatening her and demanded she put her car forward as supposed collateral for fabricated debts. "A fake sales contract for the vehicle was prepared on the order of the suspect, as if it were a guarantee for an alleged loan. In addition, they prepared another fake loan contract for 1,000,000 denars," the office said.

Prosecutors add that the suspects forged the woman's signature as the loan recipient on the contracts and had them notarized without her knowledge; the notary is now being prosecuted for negligent conduct in office for certifying false documents. The statement says the victim was again threatened, ultimately forced to pay an alleged debt and to hand her vehicle to one of the suspects.

Investigators say the group had at least one other victim who borrowed money for his wife's medical treatment. "Another victim, already in 2021, borrowed twice — 180,000 denars each time — from the suspected organizer. The money was needed for his wife's treatment. Although he repaid the funds according to the loan agreements, the suspects continued to demand additional payments as interest and, exploiting his dependence, forced him to use his account to transfer large sums from extortion as formal loans and then withdraw them in cash," the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of North Macedonia said.

Prosecutors also note that one member of the group is believed to have been outside the country for a period. The investigation remains ongoing.

Photo: press material from the event