Four men charged with committing violent crimes in Kyrgyzstan -- including murder and robbery -- have escaped from pretrial detention in the country's northern Chui region.
Nurbek Toktosunov, a spokesman for Chui's regional police department, told RFE/RL that the suspects include three Kyrgyz citizens and one man from Turkmenistan.
He said regional police and security forces launched a manhunt operation for the group after the four men escaped from custody at about 6 a.m. local time on November 27.
Toktosunov said that two of the escapees from Kyrgyzstan, 38-year-old Ramil Bazarkulov and 28-year-old Kairat Janbotoev, were awaiting trial on murder charges.
He said Bagtiat Achyldurdyiev, a 32-year-old citizen of Turkmenistan, and 38-year-old Kyrgyz citizen Bakyt Dildeshov both face trial on robbery charges.