Abdul Zakharov was detained this past week by law enforcement officers in Ussuriysk.
A former MMA fighter turned leader of a local Dagestani organized crime group was detained in Ussuriysk on suspicion of sexual involvement with a 13-year-old girl.
Abdul Zakharov — known by his nom de guerre, Rusik — was detained by operatives of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation of Russia’s Ministry fo Internal Affairs in the Primorye region by order of the Investigative Committee of Russia.
According to reports and video footage, the police officers who detained Abdul Zakharov for his latest alleged crime did so in brutal fashion, attacking him in broad daylight until he was unconscious. As a result, Rusik was reportedly hospitalized with a head injury and subsequently lost an eye. Rusik’s lawyer claimed that his client only resisted because he assumed the officers dressed in civilian clothing were actually criminals trying to “hunt him down.” He also claimed that they attempted to force Abdul Zakharov to confess to crimes he never committed.
On the other hand, the police officers stated in their defence that they expected Abdul Zakharov to attempt to resist arrest, which is why they acted with such violence. A criminal case against the police officers has been initiated in Ussuriysk.
Video footage of the arrest is available below:
Abdul Zakharov, a former MMA fighter who competed in the Vladivostok Pankration Championships alongside the likes of Andrey Koreshkov in 2011, is believed to be a part of a criminal network comprised of policemen and high-ranking employees of the Federal Security Service.