Several heads of the Khoroshevo-Mnevniki police department of the Moscow region were dismissed from the Interior Ministry because their subordinates are suspected of murder, reports RIA Novosti citing an Interior Ministry representative.

"Today, at 8.00 am the head of the Moscow Interior Ministry branch Anatoly Yakunin called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in the Khoroshevo-Mnevniki district police department. Following the meeting, the Interior Ministry chief, police chief, deputy chief of police, assistant head of HR, and the patrol platoon commander were all dismissed," explained a ministry source.

According to investigators, three ex-police inspectors and traffic cop trainee killed a Azerbaijani citizen.

An Interior Ministry press release describes the murder: "On 5 September, late at night, five young people were traveling by car from the capital towards a suburban town. On the way a conflict between them emerged, in which the four suspects killed the victim, his car BMW-530 was then taken to Moscow to be sold."

The ministry source said that a man had gone missing along with his green BMW in September. Search operations revealed that four of the suspects used to work for the Interior ministry patrol department in the Khoroshevo-Mnevniki district. There was also an intern traffic cop. Four of them were holding the 5th hostage, extorting money from his family. They took him out to the Yaroslavl region, where they killed him and buried the remains.

The source added that on Tuesday police arrested the suspects and have taken them into custody. The detainees have already confessed.

A criminal case has been opened under articles for "Abduction" and "extortion."