26.06 Ex-Cops Accused of Robbing Massage Parlors, Raping Women
MOSCOW, June 26 (RIA Novosti) The apparent ring leader of an errant gang of now-former cops in St. Petersburg, Russia, is accused of robbing nine massage parlors around the city and, on at least two of those occasions, raping working girls and committing other violent acts of a sexual nature, investigators said Wednesday.
The former officer from the special forces division of Russias Federal Bailiff Service, which is responsible for ensuring that court rulings are enforced, led his handgun- and knife-wielding gang on the deviant raids from October to December last year, the Investigative Committee said in a statement.
The alleged ring leader, Ruslan Gubayev, has been charged with rape and robbery, as well as setting up and leading an armed criminal gang. Fellow former special forces officer Rustam Mamsurov is suspected of sexual assault, according to the statement, but he has yet only been charged with robbery and participation in a criminal gang.
Another ex-special forces officer, Tamerlan Kardanov, and his brother, Batrez Kardanov, are said to have also been part of the gang, but their specific level of involvement was not disclosed in the statement.
