Russian police officer who decried corruption in YouTube videos arrested on fraud charges

Russian YouTube cop arrested on fraud charges

MOSCOW — Russia’s top investigative body says a police officer who has complained on YouTube of abuse and corruption in the country’s law enforcement system has been arrested on fraud charges.

The Investigative Committee said a court sanctioned Alexei Dymovsky’s arrest Friday.

In November, Dymovsky posted three videos on YouTube in which he said he was promised a promotion in return for jailing an innocent person. He also accused his superiors of forcing officers to fake reports on unsolved crimes.

Within days, the videos were seen by 700,000 people, provoking a public outcry and prompting similar postings on Google’s YouTube site.

Dymovsky’s videos struck a chord in Russia where people have been increasingly angry about police abuses.

Dymovsky was fired and founded a rights defense group.