A Moscow court has placed the acting deputy governor of the southwestern Kursk region in pre-trial detention over alleged fraud tied to border fortifications in the neighboring Belgorod region, state media reported on Wednesday.

Acting Kursk Governor Alexander Khinshtein confirmed earlier this week that his deputy, Vladimir Bazarov, had been arrested, saying the case stemmed from Bazarov’s earlier tenure as Belgorod’s deputy governor for construction.

Police investigators accuse Bazarov of overseeing the embezzlement of around 251 million rubles ($3.1 million) in public funds by lowering technical specifications and inflating costs for anti-tank defense structures along the border with Ukraine.

At least four Belgorod region officials are currently being held in custody as part of an ongoing investigation. Bazarov and his alleged accomplices face four criminal charges, including bribery, according to the Interior Ministry.

The Meshchansky District Court on Wednesday ordered Bazarov to be placed in pre-trial detention until Oct. 25, according to the TASS news agency. The hearing was held behind closed doors.

It was not immediately clear whether Khinshtein had dismissed Bazarov from his post following the arrest.