A Ukrainian confessed to a false murder – in a bizarre maneuver to clear snow from his road, officials said.
The man, who was not publicly identified by name, called the police on Saturday night to say that he had stabbed his mother’s boyfriend to death, Agence France-Presse reported.
But he also “immediately alerted” the police to come with a snowplow, saying it would be impossible to reach his home any other way, said Yuliya Kovtun, a police spokesman, on Monday.
But the police managed to get to the house with just an SUV – and found the “victim” there unscathed, according to Kovtun.
Meanwhile, the “killer” immediately confessed to inventing the murder, said the police spokesman.
He apparently created the scheme after being dissatisfied “with the quality of cleanliness” on his road by city workers on Saturday, Kovtun said.
The man, from the village of Grybova Rudnya, now faces a fine of up to 119 hryvnias, or about $ 4, for making a false claim.
The incident occurred at a time when record snowfalls have hit Ukraine in recent days, with about 50 centimeters covering much of the country.