Georgia hunts for man who murdered police officer

Police across the country are engaged in a large-scale hunt for an "extremely dangerous” man suspected of murdering a Georgian police officer.

People around the country are in mourning following the tragic death of District Inspector-Investigator Beka Margishvili, who was killed while performing his duties on Saturday.

Margishvili and a fellow officer were shot by a man named by officials as Shalva Abuladze.

The Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia released a photo of the suspect and warned citizens not to approach Abuladze as he was armed and "extremely dangerous”.

This is not the first time Abuladze has attempted to kill Georgian police officers. Earlier this year he was convicted of attacking two police officers in Borjomi – one of whom later died from his injuries.

Shalva Abuladze, born in 1977, allegedly killed police officer Beka Margishvili.

Margishvili, a Georgian police District Inspector-Investigator, was killed on Saturday, April 4 in the Varketili district of Tbilisi while he was on duty with Assistant Detective Valerian Grdzelishvili.

The two police officers stopped Abuladze in order to verify his identity near Varketili Metro Station. Upon hearing the policemen’s order, Abuladze allegedly opened fire in the direction of the police officers and immediately fled the scene.

Both police officers were wounded by the gunshots. Margishvili suffered severe injuries and died after he was transferred to hospital. Grdzelishvili also suffered severe injuries and underwent a difficult surgery, however his condition was now improving, doctors said.

Earlier today Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri visited Margishvili’s widow and family and conveyed condolences to them. After this the officials visited Grdzelishvili in hospital.

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili hugs the young son of officer Margishvili, who was killed in action on Saturday. 

PM Garibashvili comforts wounded officer Grdzelishvili in hospital.

In a written statement, the Chief Prosecutor’s Office named the alleged suspect as Shalva Abuladze. Abuladze had been convicted of multiple crimes that included attempted murder and armed robbery.

Furthermore, the Office said Abuladze was the same person who tried to murder two policemen last January in Borjomi, a mountainous resort town in southern Georgia. As a result of the attack, one policeman later died in hospital.

On Sunday morning police located Abuladze in Tbilisi however the suspect opened fire on the officers and managed to escape. No one was injured in this incident.

The Chief Prosecutor’s Office advised the public not to approach Abuladze if they saw him in the street. A 24-hour hotline has been established - (0) 32 2 40 52 22 – for the public to offer their assistance in locating the offender.

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Levan Izoria said the alleged offender was "a professional” who had an "ascetic” lifestyle and it was "very difficult” to catch him.

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said: "There are no words strong enough to describe the despicable man who committed this crime”, and expressed hope the offender would soon be arrested and punished.