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Taxi driver gets life for 7 murders, robberies

Galstyan selected citizens in a state of alcoholic intoxication, invited them to drink a cup of coffee with him in which he put neuroleptic drugs

MOSCOW, March 1 (Itar-Tass) — A Petersburg court sentenced a 39-year-old taxi driver to life imprisonment for the murder of seven passengers and dozens of robberies, spokesman for the Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin told Itar-Tass.

Agaron Galstyan has been found guilty under Criminal Code articles on “murder of two or more persons, robbery, malicious infliction of grave harm to health, theft of documents and theft,” Markin said.

“In the period from April 2005 through March 2008, Galstyan, plying for hire in St.Petersburg and Leningrad region, selected citizens in a state of alcoholic intoxication, invited them under a decent pretext to drink a cup of coffee with him in which he put neuroleptic drugs, including azaleptin,” the spokesman said.

The taxi driver then took the poisoned passengers to desolate places to rob and dump them in the street. “The investigator ascertained that the taxi driver had committed seven murders, 26 robberies, and nine thefts of documents,” Markin noted.

Galstyan’s crimes caused a public outcry in Russia’s second largest city. “Personnel of the investigation department, together with police of St.Petersburg and the Leningrad region carried out tremendous work at highly professional level in order to detain Galstyan,” he stated.