Local officials in Russia's North Caucasus region of Daghestan say a retired police chief from the area has been murdered.

The regional Investigative Committee said on April 29 that unknown attackers shot the former chief of police in Daghestan's Shamil District overnight.

The slain officer, whose name was not released, retired in 2015.

Sources in Daghestan's Interior Ministry say "the murder was linked to the former police officer's professional activities in the past."

Investigations have been launched into the killing. A search is under way to locate the attackers.

Daghestan has become the epicenter of violence by militants seeking to establish an Islamic state in the North Caucasus.

Police and government officials are regularly targeted.

Based on reporting by RIA, TASS and Interfax