Penza, 22 June 2012. PenzaNews. A resident of Saratov Michael Churakov accuses the police officers of Penza of assault during the questioning.

As reports news agency “Version-Saratov,” a 22-year-old man was arrested on the highway near Petrovsk. According to Churakov’s relatives, Michael Churakov and his friends were returning home from St. Petersburg, when the police officers stopped them, and after the procedure of document verification detained the men and took them to the police department of Penza.

The next day at 12 p.m. Michael Churakov’s lawyer came to the police office, but he was told that his client was no longer in a detention center, though, according to Churakov’s relatives, he was still there.

At around 1 p.m. the detainee escaped from the department and hitchhiked to Saratov, where surrendered to the State Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Saratov region. The young man stated that in the police office in Penza, where he had been taken after the arrest, the police officers used force against him.

“Many people beat me to get confession,” said Michael Churakov.

According to the lawyer representing Michael Churakov, his client was charged on two counts of crimes under art. 158 “Theft” of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

In Saratov, under the supervision of the Department of self security medical examination of the defendant is to be conducted, which should record the fact of assault presumably inflicted in the police department of Penza. The lawyer also said that he would seek for the transfer for his client to Saratov for the time of the investigation on the grounds of health state.