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A former police officer with HIV is accused of raping at least NINE women to deliberately infect them.

Ephraim Izmailov, 36, who was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 2001, began preying on his victims in 2005 in Kaliningrad, a city in western Russia, police said.

Cruising the streets late at night in his car, he stopped women he spotted by themselves and, flashing his ID, would offer them a lift home, according to a force internal investigation.

He would then ask if they wanted sex and when they refused he raped them, officers said.

Nikita Zaitseva, 29, a friend of one of the victims, said: "My friend was walking home when he pulled over and asked her if she’d like a lift.

"He told her he was a policeman and even showed her his ID.

"Thinking that he was genuine and honest she got in and he then drove her to a deserted part of the city and raped her.

"He then dumped her on the ground and told her he had HIV and she now did too.

"He is an evil, evil man."

Izmailov was arrested after one of his victims managed to remember his car number plate, police said.

A police spokesman said: "Over a ten year period he raped and deliberately and callously infected his victims.

"He has shown no remorse whatsoever.

"We have had nine women come forward so far but we suspect there are many, many more.

"We are appealing for anyone who was attacked by this man to come forward."