In St. Petersburg, a policeman was arrested in connection with robbery

The Krasnogvardeisky District Court of St. Petersburg arrested policeman Daniil Merzlikin and his alleged accomplice Taimuraz Popov for two months. The press service of the city courts reported this and drew the attention of Mediazona.

Merzlikin and Popov are accused of robbery with illegal entry into a home (Part 3 of Article 162 of the Criminal Code). According to the Investigative Committee, the defendants received information from a female acquaintance about a man who “may be involved in illegal drug trafficking.” According to the defendants, he may have a large amount of money in his apartment, the department said in a statement.

On the afternoon of February 17, Merzlikin and Popov entered the apartment of an alleged drug dealer on Shaumyan Avenue, after which they tied him up and beat him, investigators believe. After this, the accused allegedly took the man’s phone worth ten thousand rubles and two boxes of marijuana.

The very next day after this, on February 18, Merzlikin and Popov were charged, the press service of the St. Petersburg courts said. Both defendants did not admit guilt.

Daniil Merzlikin was an employee of the operational search bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, the Investigative Committee said. Taimuraz Popov is an athlete, Mediazona found out. In 2022, he became the silver medalist of the Russian Pankration Championship in the weight category up to 84 kilograms. At the beginning of 2024, he was awarded the title of Master of Sports of Russia.