MOSCOW, March 31. /TASS/. Vladimir Bardanov, the man who open fire at police officers in the Moscow Region village of Veshki, could have possibly been a member of a criminal group that engaged in arms shipping and trade, a source in the law enforcement told TASS Wednesday.

"He was under investigation, because we had information that this man was a member of a criminal group, involved in shipment of firearms," the source said.

Besides, the police were tipped that Bardanov had RGD hand grenades, anti-personnel landmines and a grenade launcher at home. When the police came to Bardanov, he claimed that he won’t surrender alive and opened fire, the source added.

According to the source, Bardanov was sentenced during the Soviet era for banditry and economic speculation.

"In the nineties, he became a businessman, and, in 2002, was suspected of fraud with reselling of deposit wristwatches. However, the case was closed due to lack of evidence," the source said.

Currently, there are several ongoing cases against Bardanov, including one on tax debt of about $2,000.

On Tuesday morning, the police came to Bardanov in a bid to carry out a search over the arms trade case. In response, he caused a shootout, throwing a total of about 20 hand grenades at the police. The police operation continued for about nine hours; a fire broke out at Bardanov’s house during an assault. The perpetrator died in the fire. The Investigative Committee initiated a case over attempted policeman murder. A National Guard officer was injured during the shootout. A stash of weapons and ammo was discovered in the house later.