CHECHNYA, November 10, Caucasus Times - The other day, the Russian servicemen burst into the house of the Katsayevs in Samashki of Achkhoi-Martan district in a sweep and conducted unwarrantable search of the house.

To remind, the Russian militaries had abducted Eliza, the 16-year-old daughter of the Katsayevs on April this year. That incident triggered the locals protests and the authorities of Chechnya had to interfere to set the girl free who was eventually found in North Ossetia two days later.

"The servicemen came on their three armored vehicle without license plates and didn't explain anything. They were very aggressive. They forced all of us out and to conduct an hour and a half search," the housewife told the Caucasus Times correspondent. "The Russian militaries turned everything upside down in the house, climbed on the roof, not telling us what they were looking for. If we dared to ask they ordered to keep silent. Then have taken away our old poster, made when we searched our daughter, and left the scene. Fortunately, our daughter was not at that moment at the site but they did not inquire about her either.

The neighbors of the Katsayevs called the local police to stop the arbitrariness of the servicemen. When the policemen approached a serviceman radioed: "The "blue ones" have come. The order has been carried out! We leave!" Then the servicemen got into their armored vehicles and have left the scene, the witnesses said.

The district police department reported they failed to find out what Russian military subunit was responsible for unwarranted sweep and search of the Katsayevs' house. The police declined to give any details on the incident.

Ruslan Adayev, Caucasus Times, Chechnya

Chechen police chief says 444 police killed since 2000

Moscow, (Itar-Tass) 11 November: Since 2000, 444 members of the Chechen police force have been killed and 717 injured in special operations to detain participants in illegal armed formations, with another 52 officers remaining unaccounted for, Maj-Gen Alu Alkhanov, the Chechen Republic interior minister, told ITAR-TASS today.

"For the heroism and courage displayed, 88 officers have been honoured with the Order of Courage, 66 of them posthumously. This year alone, 83 members of the republic's Interior Ministry personnel have been recommended for state honours," Alkhanov said.

He went on to say that memorials engraved with names of heroic policemen have been unveiled, in memory of Interior Ministry personnel who have been killed, in the Zavodskoy District of Groznyy, the Shatoy District and the Kurchaloy District, among other areas in Chechnya.

He said criminal investigation division personnel alone have this year solved 900 serious and very serious crimes, including 68 murders and 44 muggings, and detected 31 economic crimes. In special operations, 76 active members of illegal armed formations have been killed and 65 more detained.

"Preparations for and conduct of the referendum on the draft constitution of the Chechen Republic and provision of security for that were a serious test for the republic's Interior Ministry. In the election campaign days alone, police officers thwarted 19 terrorist acts by guerrillas planning to upset the positive processes in the life of the republic," he said.

The transition of responsibility for running the counter-terrorism operation from the Federal Security Service to the Interior Ministry this year came as a new test for Chechen police, he indicated.

"Responsibility has been placed upon us now for enforcing law and order and public security in the republic and for fighting crime and bandit groups," Alkhanov said.