MOSCOW, August 22 (RAPSI) – Investigators are conducting searches in the state unitary enterprise Petersburg metropolitan responsible for management of the city’s metro as part of a criminal case over supply of counterfeit equipment, the press-service of the Federal Security Service (FSB) directorate for St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region told RAPSI on Wednesday.

According to the FSB, the searches are part of the investigation into a fraud case. The press-service noted that the searches are conducted in the state-owned organization, offices of the supplier companies and homes of alleged criminals.

The Investigative Committee’s department for St. Petersburg noted that in December 2015 unidentified employees of one commercial company deceived the Petersburg metropolitan management and signed a contract for modernization of equipment.

Investigators believe that the alleged criminals used counterfeit equipment that was supplied to the enterprise under prices of real one. The enterprise’s management transferred 32 million rubles ($473,000) to the company only for these funds to be embezzled later, investigators noted.