BRUTAL VIOLENCE near Pazardzhik: young woman beaten, shaved, and robbed by masked men

The 23-year-old Katrin Tacheva claims she was victim of a severe assault with violence and theft by two masked men near Pazardzhik. According to her, one of the attackers is her former partner Ivo Boyadzhiev, with whom she had a relationship for about two and a half years.

Katrin tells a national media that during the attack her hair was cut with a clipper and scissors while she was being beaten on the body and head. The incident occurred in the night of August 24 to 25, as she was returning from her father’s home in Hadzhiyevo village toward Pazardzhik. On the way she decided to stop at a panoramic spot where youths often gather to look at the city, otherwise with no reason for worry at that late hour.

"I stopped the car, he was working, I was listening to music. About 20–25 minutes later I heard tapping on the window. The moment I turned, the glass was already broken and they started pulling my hair while at the same time trimming my hair with a clipper and scissors," she recounts. The attackers wore ski masks. The window had already been broken and she had no chance to lock herself in; she was pulled outside. On the ground the blows and cuts to the hair continued.

Katrin asserts that the attackers deliberately staged a simple robbery, forcing her to lie face down on the ground while they searched the car. She also says that 300 euros are missing. According to her, the attackers used a GPS device to locate her. She and Ivo separated in June and have had no contact since. The reason for the shaving, according to her, is a personal vendetta over their relationship.

During the beating she began recognizing the attackers by name, which led to a dispute between them. The second man, whom she says was named Martin, denied their identities, and Ivo stopped his accomplice, saying: "Colleague, enough, enough, that’s enough," after which the two fled. Ivo Boyadzhiev strongly denies participating in the crime.

After the incident Katrin received a medical certificate for numerous scratches and sought help from a psychiatrist due to severe fear, insomnia, and use of sedatives. She has already obtained a restraining order, which takes effect immediately.

The injured party criticized the work of the Pazardzhik authorities: the on-duty policeman advised her to file a complaint against an unknown perpetrator, which she refused. The car inspection was performed only 15 hours after the incident, during which the head of the hair clipper was found, but DNA testing has not yet been ordered. A pre-trial proceeding has been opened in the case. The Pazardzhik Regional Prosecutor’s Office has raised charges against the two suspects for robbery committed in complicity. One of them is criminally known and already convicted. For the two men, a light measure of non-detention has been imposed – a monetary guarantee.

Source: pik.bg