DUSHANBE, July 13, 2011, Asia-Plus – The Moscow law enforcement authorities have instituted criminal proceedings against five Tajik nationals.  They are charged with an attempt to rob a warehouse in the southwest of Moscow.  Twelve other Tajik nationals will be deported from Moscow in the near future. 

New details emerged about a robbery attempt that took place in Moscow on July 3.

According to the Interior Ministry of Tajikistan, nineteen persons, including seventeen nationals of Tajikistan, were detained in Moscow on July 3 on suspicion of having been involved in robbery.  The source says a group of robbers burst into a warehouse taken by limited liability company, Alfaro, located on the territory of the Gidroprivod plant.

Threatening guards with weapons, the robbers tied up them and attempted to take Chinese-made commodities out of the warehouse but were detained by police.  Seventeen of those detained proved to be nationals of Tajikistan, one Russian citizen O. Davrishev and one Azeri citizen A. Gasimov.  Armenian national Sh. Mstoyan nicknamed as “Migel,” who found the place for robbery, was detained on the same day.

One handmade grenade, one Osa traumatic pistol, six bullets to it and two wraps of heroin weighing 2.9 grams were confiscated from them, the source added.

Robbery charges were brought against Azeri citizen Gasimov, Armenian citizen Mstoyan and five Tajik citizens: D. Abbosov; M. Subhonqulov; B. Gadoyev; M. Nazirov; and H. Qalandrzoda.

The preliminary investigation has established that the remaining 12 Tajik nationals had nothing to do with the robbery.  Administrative action will be imposed upon them and they will be deported from Moscow in the near future.

According to the statistical data from Tajik MoI, 150 robberies were committed by Tajik nationals in Russia last year, which is 0.61 percent of 24,500 robberies reported in the Russian Federation in 2010.  Uzbek nationals, for example, committed 250 robberies in Russia last year.