Body of Russian tourist abducted in Georgia found in river

The body of a Russian tourist abducted on January 5 in Georgia’s Svaneti region has been found in the Nakra River, NewsGeorgia reported, citing a statement from Georgia’s Interior Ministry.

According to the Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti, Viktor and Alina, a Russian couple, were traveling from Zugdidi to the village of Mestia on the night of January 5. According to Alina, it began to snow heavily, and they stopped their car to take a photo. A Subaru passed by, and the occupants asked if they needed help. Shortly afterward, the couple encountered the same car again.

“Later, we passed them; they were parked on the roadside. Further along, we came across a car that was stuck, and Viktor helped tow it with a rope. At that moment, the white Subaru drove past without stopping. When Viktor saw from a distance that they were parked in the middle of the road, he asked me to hand him a knife from the glove compartment. He stopped, got out, and asked what had happened. They asked him for a pump. He took it out and gave it to them. Then some kind of conflict started,” Alina was quoted by Ekho Kavkaza as saying.

She said she overheard the strangers asking, “Why did you stop in the tunnel? Why were you photographing us?” Moments later, she heard two gunshots. The strangers then drove off, taking Viktor with them.

On the evening of January 6, the Interior Ministry announced the arrest of two suspects. Investigators allege the pair robbed two foreign nationals on January 5, stealing their mobile phones. One of the tourists, a man born in 1986, was reportedly detained and fatally shot by the abductors. Police believe one of the suspects disposed of the body in the river to cover up the crime.