Knife for the CEO

Top manager of KamAZ supplier killed

On Sunday, Denis Kostin, general director of Kama Motor Plant OJSC, was killed in Naberezhnye Chelny. His body was found near the territory of the enterprise he headed. OJSC "Kama Motor Plant" (KMZ) is one of the suppliers of OJSC "KAMAZ", produces piston groups and spare parts for engines. The prosecutor's office is considering several versions of the assassination attempt, but the main one is the commercial activity of the deceased.

The message that the body of an unknown man was found in the industrial zone of Naberezhnye Chelny near the “construction base site” was received by the control panel of the police department at about 20.15. The police who arrived at the scene established that the murdered man was the general director of Kama Motor Plant OJSC Denis Kostin. According to the Tatarstan prosecutor's office, an unknown person or persons (the number of attackers has not yet been established by the investigation) inflicted several stab wounds on Mr. Kostin in the chest and stomach when he was heading to his car after work.

The investigation is pursuing several versions, including domestic murder and hooligan assault. But according to unofficial data, the prosecutor’s office believes that most likely the death of Mr. Kostin is connected with the activities of his company. KMZ is a supplier to KamAZ OJSC; their workshops are located across the fence from each other.

KamAZ OJSC itself yesterday refrained from commenting on the murder of Mr. Kostin, noting only that KMZ is not their subsidiary and they are bound only by contractual obligations for the supply of spare parts. The existence of family ties between Denis Kostin and Ivan Kostin, who served as president and general director of KamAZ OJSC until 2002, is also denied.

OJSC "Kama Motor Plant" is considered a successful enterprise in the city, and KamAZ is not the only plant to which it supplies its products. The Department of Internal Affairs noted that until now KMZ has not been involved in any scandals or criminal stories. However, local observers believe that what happened may be a consequence of the general aggravation of the criminal situation around KamAZ and in the city in recent years. Thus, in May 2003, in Tatarstan, the general director of KamAZ-Metallurgy OJSC and at the same time the deputy general director of KamAZ OJSC Viktor Faber and the head of one of the departments of the plant Natalya Starodubtseva were kidnapped and killed, for whom the criminals demanded a large ransom. According to investigators, the crime was committed by members of the powerful Tagiryanovsky criminal group, which, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was defeated during the investigation.

Eduard LOMOVTSEV