A resident of Odesa has been detained for allegedly "mining" a shopping center in Mykolaiv.

A resident of the Odesa region has been detained for "mining" a shopping center in Mykolaiv.

On Thursday, January 16, at around 20:30, the emergency line 102 received a report about a bomb threat at a shopping center. An investigative-operational group from the police department No. 1 of Mykolaiv district, along with bomb disposal experts and canine units from the regional police, promptly arrived at the scene. Law enforcement officials, in collaboration with rescuers, evacuated over 200 individuals from the shopping center. After a thorough inspection of the building and its vicinity, police found no explosive or suspicious items.

This was reported by the communication department of the Mykolaiv region police.

Within an hour, operatives, with the support of criminal analysis specialists, identified the false bomber and apprehended him on one of the streets of Mykolaiv. He turned out to be a 31-year-old resident of the Odesa region.

It emerged that the man had misled emergency services while under the influence of alcohol. He made the calls from his own mobile phone. The detainee refused to explain his actions.

Investigators detained the perpetrator under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine and informed him of the suspicion of committing a crime as stipulated in Part 1 of Article [IMAGE_X]. He faces up to six years of imprisonment for his actions.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.