A Russian man has reportedly confessed to killing 26 women between 2011 and 2012 in Central Russia.
Radik Tagirov, 38, confessed to murdering 25 of the women connected to a perpetrator known only as the “Volga maniac” plus an additional, independent murder, according to a report published Tuesday by the Guardian. Russia’s Investigative Committee claimed the man stalked his elderly victims in Central Russia between 2011 and 2012.
Russian investigators claim to have caught the man responsible for more than 25 murders attributed to a perpetrator known for years only as the “Volga maniac”. via @Andrew__Roth https://t.co/k2TqXbBHAT
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) December 1, 2020
Investigators reportedly identified Tagirov through shoe prints, DNA and other evidence at the scenes of the crimes. (RELATED: Golden State Killer Pleads Guilty To Murders From 70s, 80s, Avoids Death Penalty)
Tagirov reportedly gained entry into the homes of elderly women by pretending to be an electrician, plumber or similar utilities worker. Once inside the home, Tagirov would then strangle the women, sometimes using objects around the home, the Guardian reported. He allegedly once used an apron and another time used a clothesline. The majority of his victims were reportedly over the age of 70.
Tagirov occasionally robbed the victims as well, investigators stated.
The murders reportedly took place in Central Russian cities including Kazan, Samara, Tolyatti, Izhevsk and Ufa. Some murders are suspected to have also taken place in Urals, but it is not clear how many, the Guardian reported.
The killer stopped in 2013, but killings that took place in 2017 were also possibly linked to the serial killer, according to the Guardian.