Three teenagers helped the police find a man who posed as an employee of the Ministry of the Interior in Sunny Beach. 17-year-old Hristian and 14-year-old Viktor and Andriyan did not remain indifferent after they became suspicious of his behavior and assisted in his identification, bTV reported.
The fake police officer was detained, and drugs and a stolen moped were found in his apartment. For their action, the boys were honored by the Minister of the Interior as part of the initiative “Little Big Heroes“.
It all started one evening when some of the boys were in a private parking lot in a complex in Sunny Beach.
A young man of apparent age around 23-24 approached them. First he asked them if they had cigarettes, and then - if they had drugs or other similar substances. The boys replied that they did not.
Then the stranger introduced himself as an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He explained to them that there was a fire nearby and the police were looking for suspicious boys.
„He said he had to check to identify us and see if we were suspects. Then we showed him our ID cards,“ said Viktor.
According to him, the man found that two of the boys had no money and told them to leave. However, two others stayed.
After finding out that one of the boys had a car, the imaginary policeman asked them to go to him.
„We opened the doors and the trunk and he supposedly searched the car for some substances. But actually, he took the money from our wallets right then," Viktor said.
At that moment, the boys didn't notice that their money had been taken.
However, their suspicions had existed since the beginning of the meeting.
„When he approached us, we thought there was something suspicious, but we didn't want to take any chances because he might be armed. It's better that we cooperated, because otherwise we could have been hurt,“ Viktor said.
The man was not wearing a police uniform and had no other distinctive signs. The boys say he showed them a badge that they didn't think was real.
For Andriyan, the experience was frightening.
“After he sent me and the other boy away because he realized we didn't have any money, we went to the hallway of the complex to other people and started discussing whether he was really a police officer. The incident was really quite scary“, he said.
The story doesn't end with the stolen money.
Later, the boys came across a clue about the place where the alleged perpetrator was staying. A video posted on TikTok also helped them.
A Christian who was not present during the initial encounter with the man joined the search for him.
“Victor, being a local, called me and said he had doubts about where the thief was staying because he had posted a video on TikTok. We went to the hotel,“ he said.
The boys first wanted to make sure it was the same person. After recognizing him, they contacted the police. Photos of the man were also taken and sent to confirm his identity.
He was eventually arrested.
After his arrest, a search of the apartment he was staying in found drugs and a stolen moped.
And the three young men received recognition for their help.
They are part of the Ministry of Interior's "Little Big Heroes" initiative, which honors young people for good deeds and cooperation with law enforcement.