DUSHANBE, June 16, 2012, Asia-Plus — An operational group comprising skilled officers from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and the Prosecutor-General’s Office is investigating the murder of chief of the unitary state enterprise Jangal va Shikor (government”s forests and hunting agency) under the Committee for Environmental Protection Kholmumin Safarov, Lieutenant-Colonel Jaloliddin Sadriddinov, an officer of the MoI press center, told Asia-Plus Saturday afternoon.
The operational group is led by Jamshed Sangov, chief of the department for investigating the especially serious crimes, the Prosecutor-General’s Office.
According to Sadriddinov, the law enforcement agencies are investigating several motives for Safarov’s killing. “The law enforcement agencies have not yet found the trace of the criminals,” Sadriddinov said.
We will recall that Kholmumin Safarov, the husband of Rahmon’s eldest sister, was found dead near his Dushanbe home on June 13, at around 9:40 after being shot in the head, chest and stomach by unknown assailants. The shooting is reported to have occurred as Safarov was returning home from evening prayers at a nearby mosque.
The MoI has offered a financial reward for help in finding the assailants. The ministry, however, did not disclose the amount of money it was prepared to pay.
A native of the Vose district in Khatlon province, Kholmumin Safarov, 57, had served as chief of the unitary state enterprise Jangal va Shikor since 2009.
