Tajik law enforcement authorities have identified one of the suspects in the shocking murder of a mother and her three children in Roudaki district, releasing his name and photograph. The identity of the second suspect, a minor, has not been disclosed. The Prosecutor General’s Office stated that the investigation is ongoing.
Police: the case was “difficult to solve”
On the evening of November 12, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) released a detailed video report on serious crimes solved in 2025 and confirmed that two suspects had been detained in connection with the murder of a family in the village of Daryoobod. The crime took place overnight on September 5–6. The victims were 44-year-old Shahlo Nazarova and her three children — Habiba (10th grade), Hamida (8th grade), and Sharaf (6th grade). The father, Halim Ibrohimov, survived because he was working in Russia at the time.
The killings became known on September 8. According to the MIA report, the crime shocked the entire country:
“Such a heinous act caused panic not only among residents of the area but throughout the country, generating rumors and misinformation on social media… No one could imagine that the suspects were people who had shared bread and salt in the victims’ home.”
The ministry stated that the motive was greed. The primary suspect was identified as Saifullo Azimov, a neighbor of the family. He allegedly acted together with a minor accomplice.
No further investigative details were disclosed.
Information provided by the father
In comments to Asia-Plus, the father, Halim Ibrohimov, revealed additional details he learned from relatives, neighbors, and officials. According to him, Azimov is 32 years old, while the second suspect — 16‑year‑old Nu'mon Saidov — is his relative.
He said his wife suffered 17 stab wounds, while the children were killed with a knife and a sledgehammer.
Azimov lived next door to the family. Ibrohimov said he does not believe two people — one of them a minor — could have carried out such a brutal crime alone. Some neighbors earlier claimed that four individuals had been detained, but the authorities have not confirmed this.
Situation in the village after the arrests
Residents of Daryoobod told Asia-Plus on November 13 that calm has returned to the village. Ibrohimov visits his home every few days to clean the yard and manage household tasks before leaving again.
“The suspects’ house is locked. After Saifullo was detained, the family disappeared. Their children’s school documents were taken, and we heard they are now studying in Dushanbe,” a local resident said.
Journalists have repeatedly attempted to contact Azimov’s relatives, but their home remains locked and their phones switched off.
However, the mother of 16-year-old Nu'mon Saidov, Ma’rifat Mirzoyeva, briefly spoke to Asia-Plus by phone. She insisted: “My son could not have done this.”
She added that she personally brought him to the police “after being summoned by the authorities.”
