Four people have been detained in Gurkovo as part of an investigation into illegal surveillance, the Sofia Directorate of the Interior said. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case under Article 339a of the Criminal Code.
“Four people have been detained in Gurkovo.”The investigation concerns the production, use, sale or possession without the necessary authorization of specialized technical devices intended for the covert collection of information. The penalty provided for under this article is imprisonment for one to six years.
The detentions are part of the same investigation in which the owner of the Bulmetal plant in Gurkovo, Kolyo Atanasov, was previously detained for 24 hours. Employees of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and the Sofia Directorate of the Interior took part in the operation.
Police teams blocked the company’s production facility and the businessman’s home. Searches and seizures were carried out at both addresses. The main line of the investigation concerns tracking devices, known as trackers, which are suspected of having been used to monitor specific people.
At present, it is unclear who was the target of the alleged surveillance and what connection the devices have to the owner of the company. Claims have also emerged that the operation may be linked to an alleged attempt on the life of Gurkovo’s former mayor. This version has not been officially confirmed.