Photo courtesy of kursiv.kz
The body of the uncle of Sherzat Bolat, the teenager whose murder in October shocked Kazakhstan, has been discovered on the outskirts of Talgar, reports Vlast.kz citing the Almaty Region Police.
“The body of a 30-year-old man was found near the city of Talgar. Preliminary findings indicate he committed suicide,” the statement read. Police noted that Sherzat’s family remains under police protection and that no threats have been reported against them.
“According to officers providing security, the man left the guarded premises at 11:30 p.m. in his personal vehicle,” the statement added.
According to Tengrinews.kz, the man left a note requesting that he be buried next to his nephew.
Sherzat Bolat was killed on the night of October 4 near his family’s grocery store. Relatives said the incident stemmed from a dispute over a can of beer that a customer refused to pay for. Sherzat and his uncle intervened to defend Sherzat’s father, Karzhaubai Nurymov, who was working the counter that night. The customer called acquaintances to the store, who attacked the teenager and his uncle, then fatally stabbed Sherzat.
On the night of October 12, unknown individuals set fire to the Bolat family home, which was unoccupied at the time. To prevent further escalation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs deployed National Guard troops to the city.
Eleven suspects were detained in connection with the teenager’s murder. Local residents alleged that members of the “Khutorskie” organized crime group, whose existence the Ministry of Internal Affairs had previously denied, were involved in the crime.
The high-profile case led to the dismissal of several officials from the city administration (akimat) and law enforcement leadership. Recently, former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Aidos Rysbayev, who was dismissed during the investigation, was appointed head of the Transport Police Department.
