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In Zabaikalsky Territory, investigation of a probe into former participants of Kluchevskie gang finished

The Zabaikalsky Regional Office of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation finished investigation into eight former members of a large organized criminal group «Kluchevskie» accused of several especially grave offences including murders and banditry (Part 1,2 of Article 105; Part 1,2 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Russia).

According to the investigation, the Kluchevskie gang acted in Zabaikalsky Territory from 1995 to 2005. The main aim of the gang was to perform military attacks on citizens to establish criminal control, to eliminate competitors and steal property of persons engaged in commercial activities. The gang participants introduced their own rules for entrepreneurs of the controlled area. Apart from that, leaders of the criminal group actively promoted their proxies able to lobby their interests.

During investigation of the probe, investigators of the Investigative Committee of Russia collected evidence of at least 17 murders committed by the bandits. The group was led by former secretary of the Komsomol committee of one of Chita factories Konstantin Kluchevskoy. Murderous activities of the gang actively involved two former deputies: ex-deputy of Chita Town Meeting, 45-year-old Alexey Guskov, accused of the murder of six persons, and ex-deputy of Chita Regional Duma, 45-year-old Dmitry Nepomnyaschiy, accused of the murder of five persons.

Victims of almost all murders were members of rival criminal groups; in 2005 members of Kluchevskie gang murdered their own leaders - Konstantin Kluchevskoy and Eugeniy Zharov, shooting them dead in Chita centre. In two cases the victims were entrepreneurs to whom the bandits owed large sums of money. Another two victims were two 20-year-old young girls killed by bandits after a petty quarrel out of fear that the young girls might contact law enforcement bodies.

During the investigation, the investigators seized a big amount of firearms and ammunition owned by the bandits including two rocket-propelled grenade launchers RPG-26, five F-1 grenades, eight TNT sticks, four Kalashnikovs, an SKS carbines, a Nagan revolver, six pistols converted from tear-gas and traumatic to use of live ammunition. They also seized approximately 9,500 different cartridges and other explosives and self-made explosive devices. Apart from that investigators discovered 50 passports and 30 driving licences of victims.

The investigation gathered enough evidence, therefore, the probe with the approved indictment will be sent to the court in the near future to be tried on the merits. 

Video archive of investigative actions https://youtu.be/lUdF_5GWlEg