Russian locksmith (38) suspected of murdering 26 women | Abroad

The multiple murder suspect was previously known in Russia as the ‘Volga Maniac’, when it was not yet known who it was. The man entered the women by posing as a handyman or electrician. Once inside, he overpowered the victim with his bare hands or with objects nearby, The Guardian writes, including a clothesline and an apron.

A commission charged with investigating major crimes said in a statement that meticulous and systematic investigations led to the conclusion that 38-year-old locksmith Radik Tagirov murdered women in central Russia.

Same pattern

A spokesperson said the attacker’s gene type and footprints and the pattern of the actions matched Tagirov’s.

Tagirov is a resident of the city of Kazan, located more than 800 kilometers east of Moscow. In 2009 he was convicted of theft.

Some of the world’s most notorious serial killers have been active in Russia.

For example, Siberian ex-police officer Mikhail Popkov was convicted of 78 murders committed between 1992 and 2007. He raped women and killed them with an ax or hammer after offering them a ride.

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