At least four people have been detained in Tajikistan in connection with the June 23 abduction and disappearance of Shuhrat Ismatulloev, the deputy chairman of one of the country’s leading banks, sources told RFE/RL on July 2.
The identities of the detainees have not been released, but sources close to the investigation said they were all former security officers who were allegedly working together with organized-crime figures. One of the detainees was reportedly a former officer with the Interior Ministry and the state Anti-Corruption Agency.
One source said there were four kidnappers who were driving a car with special security-service license plates that enabled them to violate traffic regulations without being stopped by police.
Ismatulloev, the 49-year-old deputy head of Oriyonbank, was forced into a dark car in Dushanbe on the evening of June 23. He has not been heard from since.
Meanwhile, authorities in Moldova said a Tajik citizen who was detained after allegedly shooting to death two security officers on June 30 at the Chisinau International Airport had died in custody.
Tajik officials identified the man as Rustam Ashurov, a suspected member of the organized-crime group that has been tied to the Ismatulloev abduction. Ashurov was wounded by security personnel during the incident at the airport.
Tajik prosecutors said Ashurov, “after committing this crime, fled to the Republic of Moldova through the Republic of Turkey in order to subsequently hide in the countries of the European Union.”
Ashurov was sentenced to 13 years in prison in Dushanbe in November 2018 after being convicted of stealing $100,000 from a currency-exchange office. His sentence was later reduced to 9 1/2 years, but he was released about two years ago.
Moldovan Acting Prosecutor-General Ion Munteanu earlier had said Ashurov would face trial in Moldova over the airport shootings.
Officials in Tajikistan said they believed the kidnappers had been closely following Ismatulloev since at least the beginning of June. The motive for the abduction remains under investigation.
Police and Emergencies Ministry workers were reportedly looking for the vehicle involved in the kidnapping in the Zeravshan River basin.
Source: Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
