The Azerbaijan State News Agency

ONE MORE HAJI MAMMADOV’S GANGSTER HELD

The Ministry of National Security told AzerTAj it continues search for remaining members of the Haji Mammadov-led gang neutralized as a result of a special operation carried out under code name “Black Belt”. The gang is known to have been engaged for many years in premeditated murders, kidnapping and other heavy crimes.

NIzami Abbas Abdullayev, 52, resident of Baku, former police officer retired in 2000, who was one of the active members of the gang, was accused on 12 March 2005 of kidnapping and other crimes but was in hiding at that time. Having examined the application from the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Baku Sabail district Court decided on an arrest as preventive punishment against Nizami Abdullayev, and announced him wanted.

Nizami Abdullayev was determined to hide in the Russian town of Zheleznovodsk, where he was detained as a result of a joint operation by Azerbaijani and local special services, and extradited to Azerbaijan on January 4.

The investigation revealed that having learned of the arrest of Haji Mammadov and other members of his gang, Nizami Abdullayev left the country for Moscow on March 10, 2005, and the day after flied to Donetsk, Ukraine where his close relatives lived. For about 3-4 days he was traveling around the city, then visited the towns of Mariupol, Rostov and Novocherkassk, and at last arrived in Pyatigorsk, where met with ethnic Armenians Arsen and Ovanes (former police officer) who he became acquainted with a few years ago. These persons helped Nizami Abdullayev to rent a flat in Zheleznovodsk. In late April, Ovanes warned him that local law enforcers were showing interest in his person, and advised to leave Zheleznovodsk for Vladikavkaz promising to get a forged Russian passport for $8000. However, Nizami Abdullayev rejected the suggestion saying that he was going to rent a new flat. Ovanes had nothing against it but asked Nizami Abdullayev to advice him hid new address.

Ovanes got a telephone number of Haji Mammadov’s relative living in Kursavka for Nizami Abdullayev who he was familiar with before. The latter called that person to ask him to leave for Baku to take money from his elder sister and bring to him.

In the summer of 2005, Ovanes received $2500 from that person to hand them over to Nizami Abdullayev. The latter gave a part of the money back to Ovanes.

While giving testimony Nizami Abdullayev has confessed that he had been involved in the gang’s numerous premeditated murders, robberies and other worst crimes, and that for the period of being a member of the gang he had received - while distribution of the criminal money - from Haji Mammadov $430 thousand.

The Ministry says it continues search for remaining members of this dangerous gang, and necessary measures towards complete clearance of its crimes, and will keep the public informed on their results.

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