Police chief, family members clubbed to death in alleged contract killing

News reports have revealed that a Police colonel as well as five members of his family have reportedly been bludgeoned to death in an alleged contract killing.

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The Russian police colonel, Andrey Gosht, 49, his wife, Svetlana, 51, his 27-year-old niece, Svetlana Kurilas and his sister, Elena Gosht, 42, were all reportedly bludgeoned to death in a gruesome contract killing.

The reports reveal that another niece, Sofia, 7, who had suffered wounds in the head and abdomen, is in a coma following the attack and has been flown by emergency helicopter to hospital.

Andrey, before his murder, had been the deputy head of police in Samara, an industrial region on the Volga River and had served as police chief of Syzran, the third largest city in Samara region.

The bloody scene had reportedly been discovered by the colonel's brother, Evgeny, 44, after returning to his parents' home in Ivashevka village, Samara region.

MP Alexander Khinshtein reportedly revealed on TV that, the main motive behind the killings is thought to be revenge by a criminal gang following Andrey's success in cracking them down but another theory points towards a dispute with local builders.

The victims had according to reports been bludgeoned with baseball bats, hammers and metal rods, with evidence from the crime scene suggesting that the senior officer, who had been in bed when the attack had occurred, had tried futilely to resist the invaders.

Speaking on the horrific scene he had witnessed, Evgeny said:

"I opened the front door and saw mud on the floor. The door into my parents' bedroom was open. I rushed in - my father and mother were lying there in blood.

"They were killed right there, when they were sleeping. I went to the next room. Andrey and his wife were there. Andrey's back was all covered in bruises, he was lying on his stomach.

"I rushed upstairs, my wife and niece were sleeping there, and my daughter too. My girl was all swelled from beating. It looks like they beat them with wooden bats and some metal rods. I rushed to the neighbour to call an ambulance and police. All our security cameras were smashed."

The police had reportedly found a bomb upon their arrival at the scene of the mass murders but had thankfully turned out to be a fake, red herring, planted in order to complicate investigations.

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A source close to the case reveals that, little Sofia is unlikely to survive and even if she does, will live with disabilities.

The Investigative Committee, also known as the Russian FBI, has reportedly been put in charge of the murder probe.