Moscow police are conducting checks into the beating of a taxi driver by four policemen, Interfax news agency reports.

According to preliminary results of the checks, on October 18 four drunk policemen in civilian clothes stopped a VAZ-21053 car and asked the driver to give them a ride. The driver refused to drive them and the policemen beat him.

The taxi driver was taken to a hospital with a head injury, and nose and jaw fractures.

The suspects were detained by policemen and taken to a police department in the Mozhaiskiy district in Moscow.

"Depending on the results of the checks, the four policemen will be fired from the Interior Affairs institutions," police spokesman said.