Onye na-ese ihe na-ahazi oke oke ala Russia-Finland, na-ebo ndị iwu na-akwadoghị ebubo 'ịgafe' ya

A resourceful grifter has set up his own private ‘Russia-Finland border’ and charged four illegal migrants a thousands of euros, making them believe they were crossing the Russian boundary. Unfortunately for the migrants, they were promptly apprehended by the REAL Russian border guards just a short while later.

The incident occurred last week when the border guards apprehended a group of four illegal migrants from South Asia and their guide, also said to not be a Russian citizen. The Border Service of the Russian Federal Security Service has revealed the details of the outlandish affair today.

While it looked like an attempt to illegally cross the border at first, the ‘guide’ turned out to be a conman. He created a fake Russian-Finnish border somewhere in the forest on Russian soil, and then led his clients on a long hike to it. The ‘guide’ tried to make the forest trip look like an actual illicit border crossing attempt, and even carried around an inflatable boat, claiming it “might come in handy.”

The conman charged the migrants for the journey – which was basically a walk in the forest – the hefty sum of €10,000 ($11,100). His plan was ultimately to abandon his clients in the forest, waving them goodbye and sending them off in the general direction of Finland.

Violating the border is a criminal offence in Russia which can result in up to six years in prison. However, since no actual border was violated by the group, the migrants got away with a fine and will be deported from the country. The conman remains in custody and faces fraud charges.