MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. Russian investigators have detained two more persons as part of a criminal investigation into the theft of natural gas worth at least 30 billion rubles, launched against senator Rauf Arashukov and his father Raul Arashukov, a spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee said on Tuesday.

"Today, two more suspects were detained," Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said.

She identified the detainees as Zamir Borisov and Irina Valeshnaya, regional gas officials in South Russia’s Stavropol region whom investigators suspect of receiving money from local industrial gas consumers. The official charges against them will be filed soon.

"Two more suspects - Uali Yevgamukov and Umar Kalmykov - were put on the wanted list as part of the investigation," the spokeswoman said.

As part of the ongoing investigation, more than 70 searches and inspections were held in 22 cities, towns and villages of the Stavropol region, as well as in Russia’s North Caucasus republics of Karachay-Circassia and Dagestan.

Arashukov case

Senator Rauf Arashukov was detained on January 30 during a meeting of Russia’s upper house, the Federation Council, which is the first such incident in the history of the Russian parliament. The Federation Council stripped Arashukov of immunity and agreed to his indictment on criminal charges.

According to the Russian Investigative Committee, Arashukov is suspected of being involved in the murders of Deputy Chairman of the Adyge Khase youth movement Aslan Zhukov and Adviser to the head of the Karachay-Circassian Region Fral Shebzukhov. He is charged under the Russian Criminal Code’s Articles 210.3 (participation in a criminal association), 309.4 (witness tampering) and 105.2 (murder).

Arashukov pleaded not guilty and said the case was politically motivated.

Rauf Arashukov’s father, Raul Arashukov, who was director general of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Stavropol in 2002-2011 and now is adviser to that company’s director general, was also detained under the embezzlement case.

Among others detained under this case are Igor Travinov, director of Gazprom Gazoraspredeleniye Stavropol, Nikolai Romanov, deputy director of that company, Guzer Khashukayev, director of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Stavropol’s subsidiary in Mineralnye Vody, and Rauf Arashukov’s cousin, Ruslan Arashukov. The men were arrested until March 30.

Besides, the Main Investigative Directorate of the Russian Investigative Committee has launched another criminal case against Raul and Rauf Arashukov, on suspicion misappropriating natural gas, delivered to Dagestan, Stavropol and Karachay-Circassia by Gazprom, which is worth some 30 bln rubles (around $455.5 million). On February 21, Moscow’s Basmanny Court has arrested Russian senator Raul Arashukov’s father-in-law Ruslan Agoev in absentia and issued an international arrest warrant for him.