A 39-year-old woman was stabbed and killed in Novorossisk, a Russian coastal city. According to local media, her husband was co-owner of a large grain company and the criminals had asked the businessman to pay the ransom in Bitcoin.
However, information shows that the victim was already dead when the criminals contacted him. The woman’s body was found in a forest near a cemetery.
Three men aged around 30 were arrested. Among them is Russian MMA fighter Karen Toroyan, who already has a criminal record for other crimes, such as extortion.
The group is said to have committed several crimes in the region
Before the group of criminals would focus on kidnapping the wife of the businessman known as “the king of grains,” they would have committed other similar scams in the Novorossisk region.
In a highlight, Russian media report that on November 20, criminals stole a Renault car and threw its owner in the trunk as they pursued their next target. They then repeated the same scam, stealing a Hyundai car and also throwing its owner in the trunk.
“After locating the woman, the suspects attacked her on the street and kidnapped her in a stolen car.”said a statement from Russian authorities. “On the same day, after a short time, a 30-year-old accomplice committed the murder of the kidnapped woman in a forest by stabbing her.”
“At the same time, the criminal group sent a message to the husband of the kidnapped woman demanding the transfer of bitcoins, stating that the victim was still alive.”
The victim’s body was found with multiple stab wounds in various parts of the body, including the neck and chest.
Suspect died during interrogation
The best known name of the group is Karen Toroyan, given as the leader of the gang. According to information, the MMA fighter had already been arrested for other crimes in the past. For example, in 2019 he was sentenced to six years in prison for extortion, in which he was also involved in drug and arms trafficking.
Another suspect, Ridvan Aliyev died during police interrogation. Some sources mention that he suffered a heart attack, possibly the result of drug use and current stress. Aliyev is said to have been the victim’s executioner.
Finally, that would be the third suspect Asschot Agayan. The only information about him is that he was originally from Georgia and had some debt to his name, meaning he was not as famous as his MMA fighter partner.
“Given these acquaintances and the background of the main defendant in the murder and kidnapping case in Novorossiysk, we can assume that the heads of organized crime groups from the post-Soviet criminal space are behind the crime,” a retired officer told local media .
The couple who survived faced a prison sentence of 6 to 15 years for kidnapping, 8 to 15 years for robbery and another 8 to 20 years for murder.
Source: Live Coins
Barry Siefert is an accomplished journalist and author at The Nation View. He is known for his expertise in the field of cryptocurrency, and has written extensively on the topic. With a background in finance and economics, Barry has a deep understanding of the underlying technology and market forces that drive the crypto industry.
