Police search home of former Batumi Vice Mayor as woman killed following dispute

A search is underway at the home of the former Batumi Vice Mayor Zurab Beridze, reports news agency Interpressnews (IPN).

IPN states that police entry into Beridze’s house is allegedly connected with the murder of a woman that took place in Saburtalo district, Tbilisi on October 18.

Interpressnews reports that the woman,  murdered on Spring Street in Tbilisi, was Anastasia Shatalova, who had a dispute with Beridze regarding her young son.

Shatalova was killed late last night. Neighbours heard several gunshots and saw a man fleeing the scene.

The killer has not yet been apprehended.

 Anastasia Shatalova stated last year that Beridze had taken her son fraudulently and would not allow her to see him.

Shatalova told various media outlets that Beridze had promised to marry her — however, after the birth of the child, the former vice-mayor of Batumi returned to his first wife and took the newborn from Shatalova.

Local media outlets also reported in August of 2020 that police issued a restraining order against Beridze, which allowed Shatalova to see her child with the presence of a third party. Beridze violated certain terms of the restraining order, however.