Influential crime ringleader killed in special operation in Dagestan - newspaper
MOSCOW. April 3 (Interfax) - Investigators have managed to identify the militants who were killed in a special operation conducted by the Federal Security Service near Makhachkala in March, Kommersant reported on Wednesday.
"The identification showed that one of the victims is Ibragim Gadzhidadayev, 37, who was one of the most dangerous and the most wanted criminals not only in his native Dagestan, but also in Russia," the paper reported.
The experts have already provided the results of the identification to the Investigations Committee, which will make a decision to close the criminal case against Gadzhidadayev (Ryzhiy), who was a suspect in dozens of grave crimes, the paper reported.
In the meantime, Kommersant reported that the Investigations Committee has not officially commented on the information.
According to Kommersant, Gadzhidadayev extorted money from almost half of Dagestan's businessmen and officials.
Law enforcement officials told Kommersant that even militant leader Doku Umarov had to respect Gadzhidadayev, who was never an official member of the territory organization Imarat Kavkaz.
Gadzhidadayev's militants were active not only in Dagestan, but also in Central Russia, Kommersant reported.
According to earlier reports, the news about the special operation conducted in the village of Semender near Makhachkala came on March 20, when a counter-terrorist operation regime was put in place there. Some of the militants were killed in a long battle, in which a Federal Security Service official was killed and three officials were wounded. However, when the special task force tried to enter the basement of a building where militants were hiding on Thursday evening, they clashed with the militants. Six special task force policemen were wounded in the clash.
