Four ex-police officers arrested, deputy police chief dismissed over Astana woman's murder

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Four former Astana police officers were placed in a temporary detention facility on September 29 on suspicion of negligence that led to the murder of a 28-year-old woman. The deputy head of the Astana Police Department's investigation division was dismissed from his post. The arrests follow the September 23 killing of Zh. Kamiden, who was stabbed 13 times by her ex-husband, a former police officer.
Key Facts
- Four former police officers were placed in a temporary detention facility in Astana on September 29.
- The detained officers include an investigator and a district inspector from the Saryarka district police department, and two district inspectors from the Nura district.
- All four were dismissed from the internal affairs bodies the day before their detention on negative grounds.
- The deputy head of the Astana Police Department's investigation division was removed from his post.
- The victim, 28-year-old Zh. Kamiden, was stabbed 13 times by her ex-husband on September 23 and died at the scene.
Arrests and Dismissals
On the night of September 29, an investigator and a district inspector from the Saryarka district police department, along with two district inspectors from the Nura district, were placed in a temporary detention facility. A pre-trial investigation has been launched against them under Part 2 of Article 371 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan, which covers negligence resulting in grave consequences. All four had been dismissed from the internal affairs bodies the previous day on negative grounds. The deputy head of the Astana Police Department's investigation division was also removed from his administrative post.
Timeline of Ignored Threats
The murder occurred on the evening of September 23, when the victim's ex-husband, 33-year-old T. Kamiden, met her in a Haval M6 car near her home. During a conflict inside the car, he inflicted 13 stab wounds on the 28-year-old woman, who died at the scene. The suspect, a former police officer who served from 2014 to July 2026, was detained. The couple had officially divorced only on September 14. Police had issued protective orders against the suspect on June 5, 2025, and again on August 18, 2026, and had opened cases for light bodily harm and rape, but the suspect was released on September 22-23.
Ongoing Internal Investigation
The Ministry of Internal Affairs' Department of Internal Security is continuing to review all officials who made procedural decisions on the victim's complaints. The Saryarka district prosecutor's office had ordered the rape case to be separated into a distinct proceeding on August 21, and later disagreed with the qualification of light bodily harm, demanding reclassification as torture. The suspect was released from custody on September 22-23, and the next day he tracked down his ex-wife and committed the murder.