A widow of a miner killed in Raspadskaya mine blasts said the local mafia has tried to extort half of 1 million rubles ($32,000) she was paid in federal compensation for the death of her husband, Interfax reported Monday.
But no official complaint has been filed, the Investigative Committee said.
The woman, who did not provide her name but said she was from Mezhdurechensk, posted her claim on the web site of Kemerovo Governor Aman Tuleyev.
The letter said three young men demanded the money Wednesday, threatening to harm her child or burn her house if she refused. The men also said they would target all families who received compensation.
Ninety miners and rescuers died in the May 8-9 blasts.
The widow said local police helped her identify one of the men but refused to open a case because he belonged to a criminal group with ties to the town's administration.
Kemerovo police said they had anticipated such problems and had assigned officers to guard all Mezhdurechensk families that received compensation.
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