THE INVESTIGATION WAS LED BY THE PROSECUTOR
Shocking stories about crimes
uncovered by the prosecutor
MURDER IN THE STEPPE

I worked in the prosecution for over forty years. I dedicated the best years of my life to fighting crime and violations of the law. I had to deal with non-standard criminal cases and investigate them.
This happened in the Zaamin district of Uzbekistan, where I was working as a prosecutor at the time. A little information about Zaamin: It is located at an altitude of 695 meters above sea level. The famous Zaamin plateau (Supa) is known as the second Switzerland in the local area. It is also home to a national park - a reserve where rare animals and birds listed in the international Red Book inhabit. The wife of the last Russian emperor, Alexandra Feodorovna, preferred dumplings and pancakes made only from Zaamin flour. The Zaamin plateau - Supa has significant strategic importance. At one time, the construction of a radio telescope was planned here.

Spring of 1974. A phone call came from the district police department: shepherds discovered the body of a young woman in the steppe. Inviting the investigator and the deputy to my office, I stated: "I am busy with a very important matter, and you should go to the scene of the incident immediately." By the end of the working day, the investigator reported to me on the work done. From his report, it was clear that there were clear gaps in the examination of the scene of the incident. I contacted the chief of the district police department by phone: "Kaynar Karshibaevich, I ask you to secure the inaccessibility of the scene of the incident until morning." Early in the morning, with the experienced forensic expert Khaidarov and assistants, we arrived at the scene of the incident. The murder was committed in the steppe, approximately 16-18 kilometers from the district center. There was not a single settlement or house nearby. Within a 30-40 meter radius around the scene of the tragedy, scraps of torn women's clothing were scattered. In the woman's purse, personal documents belonging to the deceased were found. Hamida Khaitbaeva, a third-year student at the Sirdaryo Pedagogical Institute's Faculty of Philology, graduated from high school No. 1 three years ago with a gold medal. She was also doing well in college. The Komsomol members of the Sirdaryo district elected her as a delegate to the congress of the Uzbekistan Komsomol, and at the congress, she became a member of the Central Committee of the Komsomol. The murder of the Komsomol activist caused a great public outcry in the republic. Everyone demanded the prompt disclosure of the crime and the severe punishment of the culprits. The prosecutor of the Jizzakh region, Omon Nasrullaev, was brief in his conversation with me: "I ask you to personally lead the investigation into this case, and if necessary, we will provide as many experienced employees as needed." In a friendly and very kind manner, the chief of the regional Internal Affairs Directorate, Yarulla Norbekov, offered his services. The signs of an unequal struggle were clearly evident at the scene. Locks of women's hair hung on thorns and wild shrubs. After walking 300-400 meters, we found tire tread marks of a "UAZ" car on soft sand. The tire tracks were photographed and plaster casts were made of them. The forensic medical examination concluded that the deceased was raped and had sustained 71 bodily injuries of varying severity. It also testified to the damage to Hamida's fingernails. I envision the following scene: a quiet night in the steppe. Like predatory wolves, the young people pounced on their victim. The girl put up desperate resistance to her assailants. Conclusion: there must have been particles of the villains' skin under Hamida's nails. This assumption turned out to be true. In its practical activities, the prosecutor's office has always relied on the support and assistance of the g