AKIPRESS.COM - Law enforcement agencies in Tashkent detained entrepreneur Salim Abduvaliev, considered one of the most influential crime bosses in the republic and known as "Salimbai" and "Salmboyvacha", the ELTUZ Telegram channel reported, citing sources familiar with the situation.

According to sources, special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs raided the businessman's house on the evening of December 1. Abduvaliev and several other people were taken to the police station.

Abduvaliev's condition had deteriorated sharply, ELTUZ reported. The 73-year-old businessman was taken by ambulance to a hospital. Doctors provided a treatment, in particular, put the patient on a drip, and then sent him home. However, the ambulance was intercepted by law enforcement officers on the way and the detainee was taken to the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the capital.

According to ELTUZ, another influential Uzbek entrepreneur associated with crime, Gafur Rakhimov, is wanted by the authorities. It is alleged that the security forces did not find the entrepreneur either at home or at the dacha. The publication's sources in law enforcement agencies believe that Gafurov either managed to leave Uzbekistan or is hiding inside the country.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs provided no official information regarding the detention of Abduvaliev and the search for Rakhimov.

A warning to citizens to follow safety rules appeared on the website of the capital's Central Internal Affairs Directorate on December 2, because raids are being carried out in the city to improve the crime situation. This was followed by several reports of the arrest of crime bosses.

Salim Abduvaliev is one of the most famous patrons and philanthropists in the post-Soviet countries. He allegedly has ties to the crime world, for example, several years ago the U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan in his diplomatic correspondence called him "the boss of the Uzbek mafia." The entrepreneur has headed the Wrestling Association of Uzbekistan since 1997.

Gafur Rakhimov has been on the U.S. sanctions list since 2012 and was wanted in Uzbekistan. His name was removed from the wanted lists in his homeland in 2018, and he was elected president of the International Boxing Association (AIBA). However, Rakhimov was forced to step aside from the management of AIBA the following year, as his election caused protests from the International Olympic Committee.