Four men have been sentenced to life in prison in connection with the gruesome series of murders that terrorized the city of Konibodom and surrounding areas throughout 2024, according to Konibodom Mayor Davron Zohidzoda.
Speaking at a news conference in Konibodom, Zohidzoda on July 25 confirmed the verdicts but did not disclose when the sentences were handed down. He also declined to provide further details, including the names of the convicted individuals, stating he was not familiar with the specifics of the investigation.
The case first drew national attention in December 2024, when the Prosecutor-General’s Office announced the arrest of four suspects following a nine-month investigation into the killings of 23 people from seven families. Those arrested included: Solehjon Khudoyberdiyev, 26, from the village of Gulbogh; Ahadjon Tukhtayev, 27, also from Gulbogh; Bakhtiyor Ravshanov, 36, from the village of Sanchidzor; and Manouchehr Odilov, 28, from Konibodom.
At the time, officials claimed the crimes had been solved, but detailed information has remained scarce. To this day, authorities have released few updates, fueling speculation and public concern.
A wave of violence
The string of murders began on the night of March 28–29, 2024, when five members of the Sharifov family were found dead in Konibodom. Initially, 65-year-old Muhiddin Sharifov was named a suspect, but that claim was later retracted. His son, Kabir Sharifov, told Asia-Plus that his father had been officially recognized as a victim, and the true perpetrators were still at large.
A trail of tragedy across multiple villages
Just weeks later, on the night of April 16–17, 70-year-old Muzaffar Urmonov and his wife Inoyat were found murdered in their home in the village of Sayhoun. Authorities arrested Urmonov’s brother, Sharifjon Ashourov, 21 days later. Despite statements from family members asserting his innocence and confirming he was home on the night of the murder, Ashourov was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison on December 12.
On the night of May 28–29, six more victims from two families—one Tajik, the other Kyrgyz—were discovered murdered in the village of Sanchidzor. Authorities later accused 42-year-old Marat Sattorov, a local school guard, of the crime. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by Tajikistan’s Supreme Court in late November 2024.
Another grisly crime took place on December 8–9 in the village of Shurobqala, where six members of a single family were found dead. The father, 37-year-old Naimjon Nematov, was found hanged from a tree, while his wife Nafisa and their four children—three daughters aged 13 and 10, and a two-year-old son—had been strangled.
The violence continued just a week later, on December 15–16, in the village of Hisorak (formerly Qurghoncha), where four more people from two families were killed.
In total, 23 people from seven families were murdered over a ten-month span. The brutal nature of the killings and the emergence of videos showing masked individuals heightened public fear. Residents responded by lighting bonfires and organizing neighborhood watches, patrolling their streets at night to protect their families.
