Outraged by fines, driver destroys 52 speed cameras in Andijan

A video recently circulated on social media showing a man claiming he smashed 52 speed cameras in Andijan using stones.

"Out of frustration over receiving too many fines, I damaged a total of 52 cameras installed in central parts of the city. Experts later evaluated the total loss at 1 billion UZS and put that burden on my shoulders. I didn’t realize I had caused so much damage. My car is also impounded. I’ve never even held a billion UZS in my life," he said in the video.

He also shared his bank card details in the video, appealing to the public for financial support to help cover the damages.

In a statement to Kun.uz, the press office of the Andijan Regional DIA confirmed the incident, identifying the perpetrator as Mahmudjon Sirojiddinov, born in 1976, who used an air rifle to damage the cameras installed at intersections across Andijan.

"Mahmudjon S. deliberately damaged 51 'Hikvision' brand automated traffic surveillance cameras and one radar system – installed at 29 intersections and owned by 'TELECOM SOFT' LLC – by shooting them with an 'SRKET' air rifle registered to him,” the department said.

A forensic examination of the damaged equipment concluded that the total financial loss amounted to 1 billion 147 million UZS.

The Andijan City Investigation Department has launched a criminal case against the suspect under Article 173, Part 2, Paragraph "v" of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code, which pertains to the deliberate destruction or damage of another's property resulting in significant loss. According to the authorities, no preventive measures have yet been applied to the suspect.

This provision of the Criminal Code carries penalties ranging from a fine equivalent to 75 basic calculation units (BCUs) to imprisonment for up to three years.

According to publicly available records, the company that installed the damaged radars – TELECOM SOFT LLC – is based in the Mirzo Ulugbek district of Tashkent and operates in the software development sector. Over 90% of its shares are owned by Uzbektelecom JSC.