Eight residents of Kamensk-Uralsky face trial in Russia's Sverdlovsk Oblast after investigators completed a criminal probe into an organized crime group accused of torturing teenagers.
The defendants, aged between 18 and 51, were named in a completed investigation conducted by the regional management of the Investigative Committee of Russia.
According to law enforcement officials, a 34-year-old local resident established the criminal group in 2024. The syndicate engaged in kidnappings, beatings, torture, and financial extortion to maintain its financial stability, regularly targeting local teenagers.
Kamensk-Uralsky is a major industrial city in the Sverdlovsk Region, located in the Ural Mountains of central Russia. The Investigative Committee of Russia operates as the country's primary federal investigative agency, handling major felony cases, violent crimes, and organized syndicates.
Extortion at the car wash
At least 15 people suffered from the actions of the group, investigators reported. Many of the victims were taken to a commercial property dubbed the hellish car wash in Russian media coverage.
The car wash was owned by one of the gang members. Once inside, victims were subjected to physical torture while suspects demanded money from them.
The syndicate also included an active inspector from the Road Patrol Service, Russia's specialized traffic police division known as DPS. Investigators stated that the officer used his official status and police connections to intimidate young victims, preventing them from reporting the abuse to law enforcement authorities.
Five-hour assault on students
Police began actively targeting the syndicate following the high-profile kidnapping of two female students, one of whom was a minor. The abduction occurred after one of the young women refused to go on a date with a member of the gang.
The suspects held the two women for five hours, subjecting them to torture with cold water, dousing them with cleaning foam, beating them, and mocking them throughout the ordeal. Members of the group recorded the entire incident on camera.
Valery Gorelykh, official representative for the Sverdlovsk Oblast management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, stated that officers from the regional police department's organized crime unit provided operational support throughout the investigation. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, known as the MVD, acts as Russia's central civilian police authority.
Broader criminal prosecution
According to the investigation, a total of 17 individuals are being prosecuted for their involvement in the syndicate's crimes. Criminal proceedings against several other alleged members of the group are already underway before Russian courts.
