Investigators have detained a man accused of killing four children during a mass murder in the Krasnodar region village of Kushchyovskaya that left 12 dead, Governor Alexander Tkachyov said, Interfax reported Wednesday.
The suspect, Igor Chernykh, 45, has a criminal record and is considered a member of a local organized crime gang accused of perpetrating the murder, an Investigative Committee spokesman said, the news agency reported.
Nine people, including Chernykh, have been detained in connection with the Nov. 5 slaying, and two more were placed on Interpol’s wanted list.
Tkachyov said earlier that the suspects could have been targeting local farmer Serever Akhmetov, who was killed with his family members, neighbors and friends, for ordering a hit on the former gang leader in 2002. He also admitted that organized gangs operate in all districts of Krasnodar.
(MT)
