MIA of Tajikistan: Ilyas Shurpaev's murder was not contracted

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Tajikistan rejects any assumptions about possible contractual nature of the murder of Ilyas Shurpaev, a correspondent of Channel One of Russian TV.

"Someone might want to use this murder in one's political ends, but I think both our (Tajik) authorities and our Russian colleagues understand pretty well that this case is exclusively criminal, and the professional work of the deceased journalist had nothing to do with his murder and robbery," Makhmadali Shafoatov, advisor of the head of Tajik MIA, is quoted by the "Interfax" as saying.

Colonel Haidar Makhmadiev, head of the MIA's Organizational-Inspection Department, has stated that the suspects had learnt from Shurpaev himself that a large sum of money (150,000 roubles) was kept in his flat. "Initially, they just wanted to plunder Shurpaev, but, as they now say, he rendered resistance, and they killed him," Mr Makhmadiev explained and added that the detainees had already confessed of committing the crime.

The suspects' fate and their possible delivery to Russia for carrying out of investigatory and judicial actions will be decided by the State Office of Public Prosecutor of Tajikistan. An official inquiry about handing the arrested persons out to Russian authorities will be sent to Dushanbe only after presentation of charges.