In September 2001, journalist Anna Politkovskaya published an article in Novaya Gazeta newspaper called "The Disappearing People", in which she wrote about the allegations connecting Sergei Lapin and his OMON colleagues to the torture of Zelimkhan Murdalov.
[1][2] In January 2002, Sergei Lapin was arrested and charged in connection with the allegations of torture of Zelimkhan Murdalov in detention.
His trial began in Grozny at the end of 2003, and at first he reportedly has not attended any of the hearings because he claimed he suffered a mental illness.
Reportedly, Lapin was also awarded a medal "for protecting public order" accompanied by a letter signed by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin.
On March 29, 2005, in a rare ruling, court in Grozny found Lapin guilty of abusing authority and torturing Murdalov (including the use of electric shocks and dogs) and sentenced him to 11 years' imprisonment.