MOSCOW, November 9 (RAPSI) – Investigators have launched a case on extortion and illegal deprivation of liberty against Alexander Mavridi suspected of murdering Myasnaya Imperia and Ozeretskiye Kolbasy companies owner Vladimir Marugov, the press service of Russia’s Investigative Committee informs on Monday.

Investigators allege that not later than in November of 2018 Mavridi had organized a gang in the Moscow Region with the purpose of illegal deprivation of liberty of a Moscow lawyer, seeking to extort the lawyer’s expensive property with the use of physical force. As a result, the man had to agree to transfer to the gang members his real properties worth in total 55 million rubles (about $715,000 at the current exchange rate).

Last week, a court detained Mavridi in a case over the murder of Marugov.

As it has been preliminary established by investigators, on the night of November 1 to 2 several masked persons broke into Marugov’s home aiming to rob him of the money they believed he kept in his house; his girlfriend could escape and report the incident to the police; nevertheless, when the police arrived at the scene Marugov had been already dead.

Later, the police could find a vehicle used by the criminals; there were seized masks, gloves, and a crossbow used to murder the businessman.