Hamburg: Raid on Ukrainian refugee shelter over suspected family allowance fraud
German authorities have searched a refugee shelter in Hamburg in connection with alleged welfare benefit fraud – around 370 cases are being examined.
Hamburg: Raid on Ukrainian refugee shelter over suspected family allowance fraud
German police have carried out a major raid on a refugee shelter in Hamburg's Winterhude district. The operation is in connection with investigations into alleged fraud involving family allowance benefits.
The measure was carried out at the "House of Ukraine" facility, where investigators sealed off all entrances and exits to the building complex. According to NDR, the Federal Employment Agency coordinated the operation, with staff from various government agencies involved, including the relevant family allowance office.
The authorities are examining approximately 370 cases in which there is suspicion of unlawful claiming of welfare benefits. The investigations focus on whether the corresponding benefits were lawfully paid and whether the children for whom payments were claimed are actually residing at the stated addresses.
The focus of the preliminary investigations is on possible organised gangs operating from abroad. The suspects are alleged to have misused Ukrainian identities to illegally claim welfare benefits in Germany and Poland.
The shelter in question in Hamburg is the largest in the city with a capacity of around 1,500 places, although it is currently not fully occupied. The facility has been repeatedly in the media in recent years, among other things due to police operations as well as complaints about noise pollution and hygiene deficiencies.
Source: Euronews
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)