Arson Destroys Bulgarian Roma Clan Mansion

The notorious estate of Roma clan leader Kiril Rashkov. Photo by Cross.bg

A blaze has destroyed the "mansion" of criminal Bulgarian Roma clan boss, Kiril Rashkov, AKA Tsar Kiro, near the village of Katunista.

The news was reported Saturday by the largest, private TV channel bTV.

The arson beat by just several days the deadline to demolish the illegal building.

In October 2011, the Regional Directorate for National Construction Control (RDNCC) issued nine orders for the demolition of illegal property owned by Rashkovi, including residential buildings, non-solid buildings and fences.

Rashkovi appealed the orders.

Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court upheld the demolition orders. The clan was mandated to voluntarily take down the said building. The rule is final and cannot be appealed.

The blaze raged in the former estate of Tsar Kiro without anyone calling the 112 emergency hotline. The flames miraculously did not spread to nearby forests and farm fields.

At noon, smoke could be seen from several kilometers away, but more than one hour later, the fire brigade in the second largest city of Plovdiv had no idea that the mansion was burning. They learned about it from reporters, who had arrived at the location.

The most likely lead is that this is a case of arson.

Locals say they saw the smoke and the flames, but thought that some dry vegetation had caught on fire. The nearby woods were appropriated illegally by the clan 10 years ago.

Kiril Rashkov, aka Tsar Kiro, and his clan triggered massive tensions across Bulgaria in September after the murder of a teenager in Katunitsa, near Plovdiv.

On September 23, 2011, a van driven by alleged associates of Kiril Rashkov ran down and killed 19-year-old ethnic Bulgarian Angel Petrov.

The Asenovgrad Regional Court sentenced Kiril Rashkov to three and a half years of imprisonment for issuing a death threat against Veselin Hristov and Ivanka Petrova, residents of the southern Bulgarian village of Katunitsa.

Just days ago, Angel Rashkov, one of the grandsons of Tsar Kiro, was sentenced to one year and four months behind bars for trying to bribe police officers.

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