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Hostage-Taking Pensioner Arrested in Kazan

04 July 2012 20:36 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A court in Russiaâ€™s republic of Tatarstan authorized on Wednesday placing in pretrial detention a 68-year-old woman accused of taking hostages at a local notary office, APA reports quoting Ria Novosti.

Galiyaban Fakhrullina stormed the office in the republican capital Kazan on Tuesday, threatening people inside with an unloaded air gun and a bomb which proved to be a fake.

The premises were evacuated, and the woman eventually detained by police. An investigator working at the case petitioned to have her placed in detention despite her diabetes, his request granted by the court despite the fact that prosecutors asked for house arrest.

Fakhrullina, herself a former lawyer, was driven into a fit of rage by a notaryâ€™s alleged slow handling of her inheritance case, a law enforcement source in the republic told RIA Novosti. He added that the woman had a track record of police reports.

Fakhrullinaâ€™s daughter Alsu said the notary was extorting 250,000 rubles ($7,700) from Fakhrullina in order to allow her to come into ownership of her late husbandâ€™s apartment. She did not identify the notary, but said the woman wanted to attract attention to her plight.

The fiery pensioner is facing up to 15 years in prison on charges of hostage taking.