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Police nab serial rapist in Irkutsk region

According to the investigators, from 2001 to 2012, the man dragged his victims off to deserted places in Tulun, threatening them with a knife

MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. A resident of the Irkutsk region, who committed a series of rape and sexual assaults in 2001-2012, was detained thanks to a DNA test. The press service of the Russian Investigative Committee told TASS that the man was arrested.

"As a result of this operation, the suspect was detained. The investigative authorities charged a 50-year-old resident of the city of Tulun, Irkutsk Region, with several criminal counts under Article 131 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Rape") and Article 132 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Sexual Assault")", the Russian Investigative Committee reported.

According to the criminal investigation, from 2001 to 2012, the perpetrator dragged his victims off to deserted places in Tulun, threatening them with a knife. There he raped them and stole their personal belongings. He victimized 11 individuals, including several minors. During this time, the operation to uncover criminal evidence and consequently track down the suspect had been proceeding. However, the fugitive covered his tracks thoroughly and a number of attacks have remained unresolved for a long time.

The crime scene team included investigators from a local division of the Investigative Committee, detectives, and experienced forensic experts from the Main Criminal Investigation Department of the Russian Investigative Committee. "During the inquiry, we conducted a number of DNA tests. The findings led us to the conclusion that the crimes were of a serial nature," the Investigative Committee stated. The analysis of collected data and biological traces allowed the police to get a picture of the alleged offender. Afterwards officers selected the genotypes of those potentially involved.

In the past year alone, the Russian Investigative Committee questioned more than 3,000 people. "We also ordered and conducted more than 15,000 DNA tests of those being verified. This work lasted until we identified a person whose genotype matched the attacker’s DNA," the Investigative Committee reported. Investigators are currently collecting the evidence and looking into more cases that could have been potentially carried out by the suspect.

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