Fire Destroys Home of Sherzat Polat's Family: What We Know So Far

After the fire on the night of October 12, Sherzat Polat's father, Karzhaubay Nurymov, said he was unafraid and requested Kazakhstanis to remain calm.

He said the police were at the scene and would resolve the matter.

All authorized bodies have been here since the night. I hope all the criminals will get what they deserve. I hope so. I myself am not afraid of anything, no matter who it is. In any case, I believe in the justice of our state. I have no fear, no matter what anyone says, I am not afraid, he said.  

Earlier, the Almaty Region Police Department said that the family was placed under 24-hour protection.

The Almaty region prosecutor, Berik Adamov, later arrived at the family's house.

The regional prosecutor expressed his condolences to Sherzat's father. He assured him that the case was under particular supervision and introduced the employees of the interdepartmental investigative and operational group of the specialized prosecutors' department.

Considering the large amount of media attention attention, to prevent distraction of the investigative activities, I explained to the father and close relatives the need to leave the scene of the incident and not to make unnecessary comments,
The regional prosecutor's office reported.
 

An Orda.kz correspondent has spoken with Sherzat's relatives in Talgar.

The teenager's relatives said the fire occurred in the house of Sherzat Polat's father. According to them, almost no one lived in this house permanently; family members came there only for specific needs.

Sherzat's uncle shared further details with the journalist. According to him, he was the last person in the house. The man claims that he did not notice anything suspicious that could have caused the fire:

We go there during the day and in the evening to milk the cows. I was the last one to leave there last night. I handled some things and left with the children. Everything was turned off there, including appliances. There was nothing that could have caught fire. Then I came home and went to work,the man shared. 

The fire was reported at 1 a.m. Sherzat's relatives do not rule out the possibility that this was intentional.

It could have been a provocation, or it could have been done on purpose, we can’t say for sure. We only want justice, so that those responsible are punished.

The family's lawyers have urged to refrain from public comments and not to disclose details of the incident until the investigation is complete.

Four police officers on duty near the house of Sherzat Polat's parents declined to comment, citing the lack of permission from their superiors.

The First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Bauyrzhan Alenov, later arrived at the scene on the instructions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs head.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs officers arrived at the scene with me. An investigative task force has been created. The CCTV footage is being studied. Eyewitnesses and witnesses of the incident are being identified. The suspects will be identified and legally held accountable, he said.

Alenov noted that the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan has the criminal case under its supervision.

The Orda.kz journalist also spoke with a neighbor who lives near the family's house. The neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, initially did not want to comment, fearing for the safety of their children. 

I woke up at night from the sounds of the house on fire. I have lived here for six years, I knew Sherzat well, I saw him grow up from the age of 10. He was a good kid, we always greeted each other, says the neighbor.

The neighbor says firefighters arrived at the scene promptly and saved the livestock.

Sherzat's family is well-known in the village. His father is a paramedic, and his mother is a doctor currently on maternity leave. Sherzat was the eldest child in the family and was survived by three brothers and a sister.

Eyewitnesses claim to have noticed strange visitors in the village the day before. Some recall a black Mercedes with two women in it. They wanted to know where the Polat family's house was, but the locals chose not to answer.

The women asked about Sherzat's house, but we realized that they were not from here and did not tell them anything.  says a resident.

Meanwhile, people in the Azat village have again spoken of the alleged Khutor gang. In a conversation with an Orda.kz journalist, Sherzat's father said that one of those who came to solve the conflict on the night of Sherzat's death introduced himself as from "Khutor."

There is no official confirmation of these rumors. Official bodies have stated there is no involvement of any gang in Sherzat Polat's death.

Article used for translation. 

The article has been updated with new details as of 18:07 12/10/24. This is a developing story. Further details may be added. The article is composed of several articles and posts. For accuracy, please refer to the original posts and articles via the links.