A 61-year-old Georgian citizen has been sentenced in absentia to 10 years in a penal colony over an armed robbery committed 22 years ago in southwestern Russia, state news agency TASS reported.
The court in Voronezh Oblast established that in April 2004, the convicted man and his accomplices from the notorious Matros gang targeted an elderly couple in the village of Rogachevka. The robbers disguised themselves in militia uniforms to gain entry to the property.
During the Russian era prior to police reforms in 2011, the country's law enforcement service was officially known as the militsiya. The disguise allowed the attackers to deceive the residents and gain immediate access to the home.
Torture and robbery in Rogachevka
Once inside the house, the gang members subjected the elderly pensioners to torture. The men then ransacked the property, seizing 1,500 rubles in cash, various items of clothing, and pieces of jewelry valued at more than 32,000 rubles before fleeing the scene.
The criminal group involved in the attack was led by Alexander Brazhnikov, known by his alias Matros, which translates to Sailor in Russian. The Matros gang carried out a violent crime spree across Voronezh Oblast spanning six years from 1998 until 2004.
History of the Matros gang
Investigators attributed at least 80 criminal offences to the organization over its period of operation. These crimes included 11 murders as well as numerous armed assaults, burglaries and robberies across the region.
Russian law enforcement eventually broke up the syndicate, arresting multiple key figures. Several gang members received lengthy prison terms following earlier trials in Russian courts.
However, a number of suspects managed to evade law enforcement and fled the region. Among those who escaped justice at the time was the 61-year-old Georgian national, who remained on the run for decades before receiving his 10-year sentence in absentia.
