Resident of Ingushetia reports kidnapping of his brother

Yesterday, on March 22, Abubakar Tsechoev was kidnapped in Ingushetia, his brother Ibragim Tsechoev reports. According to his story, at about 9 in the evening, armed men took Abubakar away from his workplace at the head pumping station (HPS) of the local "Vodokanal" (water supply and sewage utility).

"Together with my brother, three more persons work at the HPS – an electrician, an operator and a security guard. At about 3 a.m., the operator Islam Gandaloev came to our home and said that at about 9:00 p.m., people in camouflage and masks with submachine guns cut the barbed wire, turned off the illumination and broke into the territory of the HPS," said Ibragim Tsechoev.

Then, according to Gandaloev, they all were roped and banned to move under threat of murder. "Abubakar was attacked by at least three agents, who beat him with rifle butts, kicked and punched. Then, they handcuffed him, took out of the station and left in their cars, presumably UAZ vans," added Ibragim Tsechoev.

He also said, referring to eyewitness, that his brother's kidnappers were about ten in number; they spoke Russian and spent in total about an hour in the territory of the HPS. "By two o'clock in the morning Gandaloev managed to untie his rope, free the other two and immediately came to us on foot, since his car was destroyed by the kidnappers, who also took away all the mobile phones, the walkie-talkie and even small money from the pockets," said the source.

Let us note here that another Abubakar's brother – Islam Tsechoev – is an applicant to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Ibragim Tsechoev said that in 2002 their elder brother Islam was kidnapped, taken to Khankala and severely beaten. After that, he sent his complaint to the ECtHR. In 2010, his case was considered there and decided in his favour.