Relatives report unsuccessful search for singer Zelimkhan Bakaev

Five months after disappearance of Zelimkhan Bakaev, an artist from Chechnya, investigators did not shed light on his fate. His mobile phone number was re-registered to a resident of Moscow, and someone replaced his WhatsApp avatar with a photo of the Grozny mosque, reported relatives and colleagues of Zelimkhan Bakaev.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that since August 8, 2017, Zelimkhan Bakaev's relatives are not aware of his whereabouts. The singer lived in Moscow. In August, he came to Grozny to take part in a wedding party of his sister and disappeared.

At a request of the Prosecutor's Office, a criminal case was instituted on disappearance of a person, reported Malika Bakaeva, the mother of the singer. The woman also explained that attempts to contact her son failed.

The mobile phone number could be re-registered "only with the personal presence of the subscriber at a sales office" or with a notary power of attorney, reported an agent of the North-Caucasian branch of the "Megafon" Company.

On the Zelimkhan Bakaev's page in Instagram, there is an English announcement in his status reporting that "Zelimkhan cannot answer a phone call right now."

"Not one month has passed since the disappearance of Zelimkhan Bakaev. And it is a serious reason to worry for his health and life," believes Magomed, a member of a Chechen NGO.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.