A private jail similar to Kresty, a Russian state prison in St. Petersburg, was discovered equipped with underground cells and a crematorium where victims were assumingly disposed. Speculations arise that the prison was a gruesome private mafia jail where the inmates were tortured to death, some even roasted while still alive.
The structure estimated at £370,000 is modeled after state prisons in Russia. It gained notoriety for the suffering heaped on its unlucky occupants. But who actually owned the hellish dungeon is yet to be investigated.
High security system and complex jail facilities
Found inside are a three cells with steel bunk beds, a basin for washing, and a toilet, with steel doors as well as a trough for the inmates to eat from. A suspected torture room was also found with multiple electric outlets even on the ceiling.
Whoever ran the prison wanted it to resemble the Kresty state prison specifically, even if there was no clear involvement of the Kremlin. Complex high security systems were also installed impending entry.
Moreover, decorations found in the gates showing crossbones with the words 'Black Hand', suggests that the jail may have been run by an Italian mafia. Insignia of a wolf, a spider, a woman in prison, and a skull were also found.The sign 'Copenhagen' can also be seen above the entrance.
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A furnace large enough to fit a human body was discovered, along with some human remains, raising the possibility that this was a clandestine underground jail that has its own crematorium to get rid of their victims, cited the Sun UK.
Whoever run the facility is still unknown
When news spead about the private prison, many flocked to check out. People who wanted to see the prison had to be stopped by officials with a bulldozer from getting inside.
No documentation exists if it was owned or operated by the Russian authorities. It is alleged it has classified information inside. The former jail now half destroyed and partly flooded is located in Novy Peterburg village, 25 miles from the St. Petrersburg.
Research reveals that the property was owned by Artur Mkrtychyan, 50, thought to be a car dealer. For whatever reasons, he changed his name from Artur Mkrtychyan to Artur Escobar, imitating the Colombian drug lord Pavlo Escobar. The property was in his name from 2018, built the Kresty-like jail was built eight years before, cited Newstral.
Mkrtychyan made no comment regarding this but a woman identified as his mother said she does not know anything about the prison. She could not believe the revelation saying, "My hair stood on end from what you told me. It just can't be true."
One more identified owner, Renat Alimzanov, a former detention center chief used to own the property but died in 2018. Sergey Kanev, an investigative journalist, thinks the prison was actively used by a powerful mafia ring.
He added that a similar jail with a man-sized crematorium was seen in Leningrad as well. Another similar jail in Moscow was found earlier. This one had no crematorium but instead a torture hall in the basement. A table found inside showed that a victim was tied on it and be brutally tortured.
The Russian Investigative Committee is known to have conducted inquiries at the site and labeled the investigation as "classified", thus creating mystery in this revelation, reported the Mirror UK.
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