A gangster infamous in the former Soviet Union and southern Europe was shot dead by his dinner companion while sitting in a restaurant in Turkey on Wednesday, according to Turkish and Russian media reports.
Nadir Salifov, 47, nicknamed Lotu Guli, was in the restaurant in Boğazkent District of Serik, Antalya, when he was shot at point-blank range, a police source in Baku, Azerbaijan, told RIA Novosti .
The killer fled the scene after firing four bullets at Salifov, but was arrested by police on his way to the city of Denizli. Salifov was taken to hospital with a severe head injury but never regained consciousness.
“Lotu Guli was shot dead by a man who was eating with him in one of Antalya’s restaurants. He was shot in the head. He was taken to hospital in serious condition but it was not. possible to save him, “the source told RIA.
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“According to preliminary information, another member of the criminal world, nicknamed Khan Akhmedlinsky, who was a member of Lotu Guli’s inner circle, has been arrested,” the source added.
Salifov was born in present-day Georgia in 1972 and Russian media reports described him as one of the most notorious criminals in the region. He spent much of his time in Azerbaijan, and his band controlled the fruit and vegetable import market throughout the region, according to Turkish news broadcaster Gerçek Gündem.
The group he led was investigated for ill-treatment and extortion and he still managed to control his empire, even when he was imprisoned in Azerbaijan between 2005 and 2017 after his conviction for the murder of gang rivals .
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After his release, he moved to Turkey from where he controlled his criminal operation, although in 2018 he was deported only to return to the country illegally.
The tentacles of his operation spread far and wide, with authorities in Ukraine, Russia and Georgia seeking his arrest. An arrest warrant has been issued for him in connection with allegations that he was involved in the assassination of the Russian-Azerbaijani mafia boss Rovshan Caniyev in Istanbul in August 2016. Hurriyet report.
He was also said to have been linked to an attack in Toulouse, France by an Azeri man who claimed to be an exile journalist, although it was more likely as a result of a feud between them, Open Democracy reported.
Getty Images / OZAN KOSE
