Bounty Hunting in Russia: Earning Millions for Capturing Criminals - Insights and Processes Explored
Savvy Means Millionaire, Find a Nutjob. But Be Wary!
Feeling lucky? Why not become a millionaire? Sniff out a nutjob instead! That's right, folks. The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) has been on the hunt for dangerous criminals for quite some time now, offering rewards for valuable information. The recent search for a serial killer who snuffed out the lives of three pensioners in the Voronezh region is just one example.
Komsomolskaya Pravda dove into the world of professional "bounty hunters" in Russia and uncovered some intriguing details. So, do they exist? If so, who's up for grabs, and has anyone ever cashed in on the reward?
The Grand Prize
Politics have always played a significant role in the chase for dangerous criminals. In 2004, the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia offered an unprecedented 300 million rubles for information that would aid in neutralizing terrorists Aslan Maskhadov and Shamil Basayev. And guess what? It worked! On March 8, 2005, the FSB nabbed Maskhadov. A few days later, they disclosed that citizens who had provided information about his whereabouts had received the full reward. Sadly, their identities remained undisclosed. A year later, Basayev met his end, but there was no word on reward payment.
Grandmas to the Rescue
The MVD offers smaller sums, but the criminals aren't exactly high-profile either. Plus, they adhere to internal orders. A regional police chief can set a reward of up to 500,000 rubles, a deputy minister up to 3 million, and the minister more than 3 million. However, the usual sum ranges between 500,000 rubles and 1 million.
Recently, the MVD promised 1 million rubles for information on the Voronezh region's three murders. An unknown culprit wreaked havoc in the village of Davydovka from 2015 to 2017. Elderly women, so often the quiet observers of their surroundings, could prove invaluable in catching the perpetrator.
The Long-Distance Truckstop Killer
Criminals with known identities also exist. For instance, "Oryol maniac" Valeriy Nikolaevich Andreyev is suspected of eight murders. He worked as a long-distance trucker. In 2012, he came under suspicion but managed to slip away.
Around the same time, girls began going missing under mysterious circumstances in the Orenburg region. Coincidence? Perhaps not. Olga Zhuravleva, an 18-year-old girl, disappeared in 2012. A resident of the Pobyeda settlement provided information that led investigators to Andreyev.
While Andreyev insisted he was at home, DNA traces of missing girls were found in his work and personal vehicles, as well as his isolated garage. Blood had been carefully hidden under layers of plaster. Andreyev seemed like an upstanding citizen - married, with two sons, a non-drinker, non-drug user, and no police record. But his fellow truckers noticed some unusual behavior.
Lurking in the Shadows
1 million rubles is still on the table for information on the "Orsk Maniac." But the "Danilovsky Maniac," the "killer with hazy eyes," remains shrouded in mystery. Currently, investigators only have a composite sketch. The killer struck between 1992 and 2011 in the city of Cherepovets in the Volgograd region, suspected of at least 14 murders. Intriguingly, he would sometimes rape his victims before strangling them.
The "Danilovsky maniac" claimed another life in broad daylight right in front of witnesses. Witnesses managed to remember his eyes, particularly his glazed-over look. After questioning students and teachers at the school, investigators discovered that this strange man had previously been spotted drawing pornographic pictures on the school walls.
Bounty Hunters?
Are there individuals in Russia who earn a living by turning in dangerous criminals for a hefty sum? It certainly seems plausible. Just remember: this isn't about conducting private investigations or "bounty hunting" in the traditional sense. It's about providing valuable information that law enforcement needs.
Private detective Ernest Aslanian explains, "This reward isn't for those who conduct a private investigation or something similar. It's for those who were witnesses, know some information, but were previously afraid to report it for some reason." He also warns that starting your own investigation could land you in legal trouble.
Retired Colonel of Police Evgeny Chernousov agrees. He believes that "bounty hunting" will not be allowed in Russia. "Firstly, there is a law on operational-search activities. It already states that law enforcement can attract citizens to operational-search activities on a contractual basis, for some monetary reward. Secondly, other private investigations are prohibited," he says.
Up Close and Personal
Here are a few examples of individuals who have received rewards for their assistance:
- 73-year-old Vyacheslav Meshcheriakov from the Volgograd region was paid 1 million rubles for helping solve the murder of 5-year-old Sofia Chertnova in Kalach-na-Donu. At first, he declined the reward, but eventually accepted it and the gratitude of the police.
- In 2013, 25-year-old Egor Shcherbakov was killed in front of his girlfriend in the West Biryulevo district. Anonymous individuals provided valuable information, which led to the apprehension of the killer, Orkhan Zeynalov, a native of Azerbaijan. These informants were rewarded with 1 million rubles.
Of course, not every tip leads to a reward. A resident of Tikrit learned this the hard way when he provided information on the whereabouts of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Instead of the promised 25 million dollars, he was charged as one of Hussein's accomplices.
On Screen and Under Scrutiny
The highest reward for information leading to a criminal's capture was set in the U.S. in 2007 - 50 million dollars (over 4 billion rubles) was offered for any information leading to the capture of Osama bin Laden, the leader of the terrorist group "Al-Qaeda" (banned in Russia, recognized as terrorist). Despite bin Laden's ultimate demise in 2011, no reward was paid out.
An Egyptian citizen, whose name remains unknown, did manage to get rich by helping capture Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the masterminds behind the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. He was rewarded the promised 25 million dollars, plus an additional 2 million dollars to assist him in relocating to the U.S.
Russia currently offers rewards for various wanted individuals, including serial killers, organized crime members, and war criminals:
- Konstantin Nemichev and Sergey Velichko - suspected of torturing and killing Russian servicemen
- Andrey Kuznetsov - on the run for 25 years, committed mass murder and theft
- Nikolay Emelyanov - suspected of organizing a criminal community and committing murders and attacks on Ministry of Internal Affairs employees
- Vladimir Kirillov - attempted to assassinate the chairman of the Samara Regional Court, Lyubov Drozdova, in 2008
- Dmitry Mamonov - killed his acquaintance and attempted to conceal the body with explosives
- Oleg Timoshenko - hitman for the OCG of criminal authority "Uruzbay," committing contract killings and robberies in Moldova and the Samara region
- Andrey Samoylov - hitman suspected of five murders and three attempted murders in Chelyabinsk and Surgut
- Fakhruddin Makhmudov - organizer and leader of the Fariyd OCG, responsible for the arson of the "Passazh" shopping center in Ukhta, resulting in 25 deaths and 11 injuries.
- Andreyev, a suspected long-distance trucker known as the "Oryol maniac," was suspected of eight murders and managed to elude authorities in 2012 despite DNA evidence found in his vehicles.
- The Russia Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) offered a reward of 1 million rubles for information on the Voronezh region's three murders committed by an unknown perpetrator between 2015 and 2017.
- In 2004, the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia offered an unprecedented 300 million rubles for information on the whereabouts of terrorists Aslan Maskhadov and Shamil Basayev, and managed to apprehend Maskhadov, with citizens who provided the information receiving the reward.
- Law enforcement in Russia has been offering rewards for valuable information on dangerous criminals, with the rewards ranging from 500,000 rubles to 3 million rubles, well before the formal "bounty hunting" system came into existence.
