Story By: Elena Kalioglo, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
Video Credit: CEN/Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation
A loving dad described as an exceptional father by neighbours and who everybody thought was a successful businessman has been exposed as a suspected murdering bank robber who operated a 12-year campaign of terror.
The 48-year-old man identified only by the name Artem from the city of Zelinograd, in the Moscow Region, was married to his wife of 22 years and the couple have two children, one of whom is still a minor.
She said she never asked him much about business but knew he was an entrepreneur, but had no idea that in reality he was allegedly a bank robber.
Police are currently investigating, and he has apparently admitted that he began his “entrepreneurial” activities as a bank robber in 2007 in the city of Khimki, some 30 kilometres north-west of central Moscow, where he allegedly stole 265,000 RUB (3,338 GBP) plus around 15,000 USD (12,100 GBP) in cash from a bank and vanished.
Police say that they know he struck again in 2014, in the city of Solnechnogorsk, some 65 kilometres north-west of Moscow, where he identified a person working for a Private Security Company who was carrying 8 million RUB (100,000 GBP) and allegedly attacked him as he walked into a shopping centre, blasting him dead with two shots before stealing the money.
In 2017, the man allegedly made another attempt to rob a money transport, but this time it was unsuccessful even though one employee was killed, because a second employee reportedly managed to get away with the money the suspect was after.
In 2018, he was back in action when he reportedly stole 500,000 RUB (6,250 GBP) from the Khimki branch of a local bank.
And then he allegedly targeted a bank in Moscow where he reportedly managed to steal 4 million RUB (50,000 GBP), as well as 25,000 USD (20,000 GBP) and 37,000 EUR (32,800 GBP).
But this time round police managed to gather clues that led them to the family home in Zelenograd.
The family were asleep when police raided it, and they reportedly found the clothes he used for the robbery hanging on a clothes line, with the money stolen hidden in the pantry and the hunting rifle he was licensed to own hidden in the safe.
Local media reported that the man has agreed a pretrial deal and admitted his involvement in both murder and robbery charges.
The move attracted widespread criticism online with many people suggesting that the wife must have known, and others criticising the man for not getting a proper job.
Netizen ‘Alexander Martyshevsky ‘said: “Why go to work when you can just kill someone and still everything.”
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