Russia's "Sausage King" killed with crossbow in his home sauna

A Russian oligarch reportedly nicknamed the "Sausage King" was killed with a crossbow in his sauna after masked robbers broke into his home, investigators said Monday. The man and his wife were in their banya — a traditional Russian sauna — outside Moscow when several masked men entered, tied them up and "demanded they give up the money kept in their home," Russia's Investigative Committee said.

A photo posted on Facebook by Alexander Marugov shows him with his father Vladimir Marugov. The elder was reportedly killed at his home near Moscow on November 2, 2020, while Alexander died in a motorcycle accident in 2019. Facebook/Alexander Marugov

The wife managed to get free and alert the police, who discovered the man's body, the Committee said in a statement.

"While inspecting the scene, investigators seized the crossbow the man was shot with," it added.

The robbers escaped in the victim's car, which was found near Istra, a town west of Moscow.

One suspect was arrested Monday evening, Russian news agencies reported.

The Committee, which probes major crimes, did not name the victim, but Russian media widely reported that it was Vladimir Marugov, who owns numerous meat-processing factories and is known as the "Sausage King," according to the Interfax news agency.    

According to BBC News, Marugov's adult son Alexander died in a motorcycle accident in Moscow in 2019.

Britain's Guardian newspaper reported later Tuesday that during a search of a home associated with the suspect detained the previous evening, they found an elderly man handcuffed to a bed. 

The Guardian cited the Investigative Committee as saying the man told police he was being extorted sign over the deed for his Moscow apartment to a criminal gang. 

The Committee reportedly said the suspect in custody was refusing to cooperate with authorities.

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