Dmitry Gribov, the regional head of a Russian anti-corruption group, was beaten to death outside of Moscow.

Dmitry Gribov, a Russian anti-corruption activist, was beaten to death outside of Moscow, according to The Moscow Times. He was attacked by masked assailants on Monday when he visited his mother in the Moscow region.

Gribov was the regional head of the Moscow chapter of the Center for Combating Corruption in Government NGO which assists the government in carrying out anti-corruption policies.

The attackers were chased away by a local resident who saw the attack. The resident threatened to call the police. Unfortunately, the resident did not come soon enough. Gribov died from his injuries in a hospital. A criminal case to investigate the attack has been opened.

Viktor Kostromin, the chairman of the Center for Combating Corruption in Government NGO, linked the attack to an old traffic dispute. The court hearing for the dispute happened the same day as the attack.

“Three men had beaten Dmitry in an everyday conflict on the road two years ago,” Kostromin said.

“His car was torched, he had sued for [police] inaction and finally secured a case against one of the attackers.”