Russian Teenagers Behead Homeless Man, Use Head as Football

Two teenagers have been arrested in the Russian capital of Moscow on charges of decapitating a homeless man and using his head as a football.

A report in RIANOVOSTI quotes the local Investigative Committee as saying that the teenagers allegedly beheaded the man because they disliked him.

According to the report, the incident first came to light when the man's headless body was found close to a residential building. A trail of blood led to a nearby apartment where an axe and a saw were discovered.

The two unidentified teenagers were arrested on suspicion of murder while three other teenagers who are also believed to have taken part are still at large.

The RIANOVOSTI report quoted tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda and suggested that the suspects were drunk and committed the murder in a drunken fit of rage.

The report further said that the boys rolled the head of the man like a football until it reached a garbage can, and left it there. An Investigative Committee spokesman later denied reports that the victim's head was used as a football. Next morning, the victim's head was collected by a trash truck; police are trying to track it down to establish the victim's identity.

If convicted, the teenagers can get up to 15 years in prison. An investigation into the matter is ongoing.