The Kizlyar District Court in Daghestan has ordered 44-year-old former imam Magomedali Mirzakhanov to remain in pre-trial detention for two months after he confessed to murdering his second wife.
The Daghestani courts’ joint press service confirmed the decision on Wednesday. Investigators reported that Mirzakhanov voluntarily approached police and admitted to the crime.
According to court records, the alleged murder occurred on the evening of December 13, 2025, in the village of Krasny Voskhod in northern Daghestan’s Kizlyar district. Mirzakhanov arrived at the home of his 35-year-old wife, where their seven-month-old child and the woman’s four children from a previous marriage were present.
During a domestic dispute, Mirzakhanov reportedly strangled his wife. He then transported her body to the outskirts of Maksim Gorky village in the neighboring Tarumovsky district, where he washed the body in a canal, wrapped it in a sheet, and buried it at a local rubbish dump.
READ MORE: Bradford Mosque Warns Worshippers After Reports of Missing Footwear
The victim’s family did not immediately alert authorities, citing previous instances when she had left home without notice. A missing person report was filed roughly two weeks after the murder.
Approximately two months later, Mirzakhanov turned himself in to law enforcement and submitted a written confession. He claimed jealousy as the motive, stating that he perceived cold behavior and certain remarks from his wife as signs of infidelity.
Pro-government media outlet Tsargrad reported that Mirzakhanov had a history of physical abuse against his wife, citing Sharia norms.
The court has set detention as a preventive measure until April 2, 2026. He faces charges of murder, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Mirzakhanov formerly served as an imam in a Tarumovsky district mosque but was relieved of his position about six months prior to his arrest. Local residents reportedly regarded him as a respected religious figure.
This case highlights the ongoing issue of domestic violence in the North Caucasus. In a similar incident at the end of January 2026, 28-year-old Razhidin Yaraliev confessed to murdering his 36-year-old wife, Malvina Magomedova. Her dismembered and burned remains were found near Derbent a few days prior.
