Police Officers Arrested over Murder Case

The Georgian Interior Ministry has arrested five persons, including two incumbent and one former police officers on charges of assisting two other persons in murdering a Georgian citizen, 35, identified as D.M. about a week ago.

One of the persons involved in the murder has already been arrested and the other is being searched. One more citizen has been arrested on charges of giving false evidence.

According to the Georgian Interior Ministry, a group of incumbent and former police officers illegally deprived D.M. of liberty in Tbilisi, took him to Rustavi and handed him over to the murderers. To cover up the crime, the latter threw D.M.’s body into the Mtkvari River. The river washed the corpse ashore on October 5.

The Ministry refrained from elaborating the details. According to media reports, the police officers had links to so called “criminal bosses” and were performing their instructions.

According to the same reports, the murdered D.M. was the key witness of the Prosecutor’s Office against criminal bosses; he was involved in witness protection program with a changed name. But he was uncovered by criminal bosses and murdered.

The latter accused D.M. of misappropriating so called “Obshiak”, a term referring to money collected through payments extorted through blackmail and racketeering.

According to media reports, the former and incumbent police officers received a large amount of money from criminal bosses for their assistance.

The incumbent and former police officers have been charged with depriving of liberty committed by a group. On October 9, court sentenced them, as well as two other persons arrested over the same case, to pretrial detention.

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