'Grand Theft Auto' gang blamed for 15 murders of Moscow motorists
Mysterious murderers terrorise motorists in Russian capital, apparently killing at least 15, with police tight-lipped about reported arrests
Authorities in Moscow have been hunting a mysterious gang that has terrorised motorists in recent months with a series of murders resembling scenes in the violent video game Grand Theft Auto.
The gang, dubbed the GTA gang by Russian media after the video game that involves scoring points for murders, is believed to have killed at least 15 people.
Late at night, gang members placed metal spikes on roads just outside Moscow to burst the tyres of passing cars, gunned down their drivers and disappeared.
Among their victims were a policeman, a senior banker, and even a former dancer from a famous folk dancing troupe.
In a sign of how seriously the crimes are being treated, the police have teamed up with the FSB security agency, the successor to the KGB, to tackle the murders and President Vladimir Putin has become involved.
"Essentially, this crime is terrorist by nature," Putin told Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev late last week. "I know you are working together with the security services, with the FSB. I hope you will see this through."