A 39-year-old woman was detained on Monday during an investigation into 20 murders of female pensioners over the past seven years, Sverdlovsk police spokesman Valery Gorelykh said in a ITAR-TASS news agency report.
The alleged killer offered to help elderly victims with household tasks to earn their trust and entry to their homes, Mr Gorelykh said. "She then clubbed the victims with blows to the head and stole their money and valuables."
"A total of around 20 murders were reported in several towns of the region that followed a similar criminal pattern," Mr Gorelykh said. "In the opinion of the police officers, they were carried out with mercenary motives."