Law enforcement officials in Kyrgyzstan have detained officers from the anti-narcotics unit on suspicion of extorting $100,000 from a Russian national.

According to the Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security, the suspects include a department head and an operative from the Osh regional division of the Service for Combating Illegal Drug Trafficking. They demanded money in exchange for assisting to reduce a sentence in a drug-related case, The Caspian Post reports via Kyrgyz media.

Investigators say the victim’s family sold property to raise the funds, which were transferred in installments to bank cards linked to Sberbank's accounts registered under third parties.

To withdraw and launder the money within Kyrgyzstan, the suspects reportedly involved additional intermediaries - a scheme designed to conceal their role in the transactions.

The detained officers have been placed in a temporary detention facility under the authority of the State Committee for National Security as the investigation continues.