DUSHANBE, July 3, 2009, Asia-Plus — Three persons, including two former officers of special police unit (OMON), have got lengthy jail terms for attack on the “Pamir” Casino in the Roudaki district in February this year.
The Supreme Court ruled on June 26 that ex-deputy commander of the OMON company Ravshan Homidov and ex-chief of the OMON duty unit Tohir Rahimov be given a jail term of 21 years each and unemployed Khurshed Islomov be given a jail term of 24 years and that all of them should serve their terms in a high-security penal colony.
Sentence followed their conviction on charges of armed robbery, organization of criminal group and illegal possession of weapons. The trial began on June 1 this year.
Justice Mahmadali Abdulhaqov, who took in the trial, told Asia-Plus today that the leader of this ring Tavakkalkhouja Nizomov and another member of this gang, unemployed Abdukahlil Fattoyev, are still wanted by police.
As it had been reported earlier, three members of this ring, including two OMON officers Ravshan Homidov and Tohir Rahimov as well as unemployed Khurshed Islomov, were detained in Dushanbe on February 24. The ringleader Tavakkalkhouja Nizomov, who is former officer from the Main Border Guards Directorate within the State Committee for National Security (GKNB), managed to escape.
Members of this gang broke into the “Pamir” Casino in the Oq Qurghon jamoat in Roudaki district on February 14 this year and seized some 40,000 U.S. dollars. They are also suspected of having committed a number of other serious crimes in the territory of the country.
