A Sochi resident complained about the inaction of law enforcement regarding a fraud complaint involving real estate.

Real estate sellers fraudulently received three million rubles for premises in a building slated for demolition, and law enforcement did not take any action for almost six months regarding the fraud complaint, complained Sochi resident Marina Odnoburtseva. Such a prolonged absence of a decision is a gross procedural violation, noted a lawyer.

According to Sochi resident Marina Odnoburtseva, almost six months after filing the initial complaint, the police did not summon Odnoburtseva for questioning and did not notify her of any procedural decision regarding her complaint about the alleged fraud in the real estate purchase.

"On April 12, 2026, I personally went to the police department <...>, submitted my complaint, and received a notification receipt <...>. Almost six months have passed since then – and complete silence! I have not been summoned, questioned <...>, nor has any decision been made regarding the initiation of a case or a refusal. By law, they were supposed to respond within three days! On October 4, I was forced to resend complaints to the police and the prosecutor's office," Odnoburtseva told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".

In her repeated appeals, Odnoburtseva asked the prosecutor's office to investigate the actions of the police officers, who, in her opinion, allowed delays, and to ensure a decision is made to initiate a criminal case against those she accuses of fraud.

According to the Sochi resident, in August 2023, after seeing an advertisement for housing for sale, she met with representatives of the seller and inspected the under-construction property in Dagomys. Odnoburtseva was offered to sign a preliminary purchase agreement for the premises, after which she transferred three million rubles to the personal account of one of the participants in the transaction. The main contract was supposed to be concluded by the end of 2023.

In December 2023, construction of the property was halted. From chats with other buyers, Odnoburtseva learned that the court had prohibited construction and ordered the demolition of the property due to violations of urban planning and land regulations. They refused to return the money she had transferred, and the alternative housing offered to her, according to the woman, was in another building also slated for demolition. Later, the court satisfied Odnoburtseva's property claims, but she did not receive the money.

The participants in the transaction were aware of the problems with the constructed properties in advance and intentionally misled buyers, Odnoburtseva believes.

A decision on a crime report must be made within three days, and in certain cases, the verification period can be extended to 10 or 30 days, noted lawyer Albert Zadykian.

"If we talk about the timeframes for checking reports of crimes, according to Article 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, the investigator or inquiry body must make a decision on the crime report no later than three days from the date of its receipt. In certain cases, this period can be extended to 10 or 30 days (if judicial examinations, document studies, or operational-search activities are necessary). However, making a procedural decision – initiating a criminal case, refusing it, or transferring it for jurisdiction – is an absolute duty of the investigation," he told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".

The absence of a procedural decision for almost six months was called a gross violation by Zadykian. "If the notification receipt <...> was issued on April 12, 2026, and by October no procedural decision has been sent to the applicant, there is a gross procedural violation and delay. The police are effectively hiding the crime report from accounting and verification," he noted.

Prolonged inaction by officials under certain circumstances may contain signs of a criminally punishable act, Zadykian indicated.

"Yes, systematic and prolonged inaction by officials can be classified as a criminally punishable act. Depending on the established circumstances, the actions of the police officers responsible for conducting the verification of Odnoburtseva's complaint may exhibit signs of: Article 293 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Negligence" – failure to perform or improper performance of official duties by an official due to dishonest or careless attitude towards service, if this has led to a significant violation of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens; Article 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Abuse of Official Powers", if it is established that the verification of the complaint regarding the demolition of houses and the embezzlement of 3 million rubles was not conducted due to personal or other interests of the employees," said the lawyer.

He advised in such cases to contact the Investigative Committee and the prosecutor's office with complaints about the actions of police officers.