MOSCOW, March 04. /ITAR-TASS/. Moscow police have detained members of an organized group suspected of banking fraud in several Russian regions, the Interior Ministry told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

"The group replenished their bank accounts with fake 1,000-ruble notes through ATMs with the view of subsequent withdrawing authentic banknotes in Vladimir, Nizhniy Novgorod, Ryazan and Tula regions," the Ministry said, adding that the wrongdoers had caused losses estimated at 1.7 million rubles.

Police detained in Moscow a 31-year-old resident of Kabardino-Balkaria and a 37-year-old resident of Moscow region.

The operation was carried out by criminal police together with their colleagues from the Interior Ministry's Department for Combating Economic Crime and Corruption, the department of the service in Vladimir region and Zubr special task force police.

The detainees have been placed under arrest. A search of their temporary residences found credit cards, mobile phones, and documents and seals of different commercial organizations they had used in crimes.

Criminal proceedings were opened over fraud.

Police are checking the suspects for involvement in similar crimes.