Co-owner of PIMK Iliyan Filipov shot dead in Plovdiv

Iliyan Filipov, co-owner of the PIMK transport group and chairman of the Plovdiv Business Association, was shot and killed in Plovdiv in the early hours of 30 September 2026. Capital and Mediapool confirmed the killing.

PIMK is one of Bulgaria's largest road and rail freight companies, with operations across Europe including a branch in Italy.

What happened

According to Dariknews, police received the emergency call at around 1:00 a.m. Filipov was shot at the entrance of the residential building where he lived, in Plovdiv's Hristo Smirnenski neighbourhood near Peshtersko road. Early unconfirmed reports indicated a single gunshot wound to the head, though Dariknews notes police declined to confirm specifics. It was Filipov's wife who placed the initial call to authorities, Standart reports.

Police locked down the city shortly after. Varna24 and Dariknews both report that checkpoints were set up on all main roads in and out of Plovdiv, with officers stopping vehicles considered suspicious. The investigation was opened as a deliberate homicide.

Special task force and background

The Interior Ministry and the Prosecution Service formed a dedicated special operations staff to lead the inquiry, Standart reports. Senior officials including a deputy minister, the head of national police, the Plovdiv police chief, and the appellate and regional prosecutors met at the regional directorate for an early-morning briefing. Plovdiv district prosecutor Vanya Hristeva said no line of investigation had been ruled out.

Filipov founded PIMK in 2000. By 2018 the company employed around 1,650 people and posted sales of roughly 234 million leva, according to figures cited by Dariknews. The group expanded into rail freight and received a passenger rail licence in 2023. Filipov also owned Botev Plovdiv football club and a private rail terminal near the city.

Mediapool details a prolonged public dispute between Filipov and another Plovdiv businessman, Ivan Petleshkov, with whom he had previously been a partner. Filipov had publicly accused Petleshkov of having improper influence over police and municipal officials, and as recently as late June had posted on social media that he was gathering information on people and companies linked to Petleshkov. Investigators had also previously examined PIMK in connection with a separate inquiry into a missing cocaine shipment, though Filipov said at the time that his company cooperated fully.

A person of interest was reportedly detained later the same day. Standart says international media described the killing as gangland-style. Investigators said establishing the full picture would require extensive further work.