On the night of December 8-9, the bodies of six members of the same family, including four children, were discovered in Shurqurghon neighborhood of Shurobqala village, subordinate to the northern city of Konibodom. Authorities have not issued official comments, and relatives of the victims are avoiding the press.
The victims were all members of the Nematov family, residents of Shurqurghon neighborhood. The body of the family head, 37-year-old Naimjon Nematov, was found hanging from a tree in the yard, with visible signs of beating on his head and body.
The bodies of his wife, 33-year-old Nafisa Nematova, and their children—13-year-old Amina, 10-year-old Fatima and Zuhro, and 2-year-old Muhammadyusuf—were discovered inside the house, showing signs of suffocation.
The perpetrator remains unknown. Authorities have offered no statements, and the family's relatives have declined to speak with journalists.
Investigation at the scene
On the morning of December 9, Asia-Plus’s reporter visited the family’s home. The house was locked, and law enforcement officers were seen in the yard alongside Nafisa Nematova’s relatives, awaiting updates.
Shirinjon Egamberdiyeva, a relative of Nafisa Nematova, said she learned of the tragedy only on the morning of December 9. According to her, the bodies were sent to Khujand for forensic examination.
Egamberdiyeva mentioned that the family relied financially on earnings from migration, and Naimjon Nematov held Russian citizenship. She said she had last seen her relatives in the spring and had no knowledge of who might have committed the crime.
An official at the Konibodom police department dismissed the reports as “fiction.” Attempts to reach officials at the Interior Ministry’s Office for Sughd Province went unanswered.
Meanwhile, social media reports claim that the bodies of the Nematov family were discovered at around 9:00 pm on December 8. These reports detail the discovery of the hanged family head and the other members showing signs of suffocation. An investigative team is said to be working at the scene.
Serial murders in Konibodom keep residents on edge
The discovery of the Nematov family's bodies follows reports of at least five family murders in Konibodom since April of this year, which have left residents in fear. Locals report sightings of masked individuals wandering the streets at night, with videos of these sightings circulating on social media.
Initially, authorities remained silent about these incidents. Over six months later, the Interior Ministry acknowledged the murders but downplayed their significance, describing them as “ordinary domestic disputes.”
On August 8, 2024, the First Deputy Interior Minister Abdurahmon Alamshozoda told reporters in Dushanbe that Konibodom had seen four family murders, two of which were linked to household disputes. He noted that suspects in three of the cases had been apprehended, though he did not provide the total number of victims or details on the suspects.
