Five people have been arrested in St Petersberg in Russia [Images] in connection with the murder of an Indian medical student, who was stabbed to death in 2006.

Nitesh Kumar Singh, a sixth year student of local Medical Academy, was stabbed to death on September 24, 2006, near his hostel, sparking off widespread protests by foreign students over hate crimes here.

St Petersberg happens to be the home town of President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin [Images].

According to the Investigation Committee of the local prosecutor's office, an 18-year-old student of local Nevsky College has been arrested in connection with Nitesh's murder.

The suspect, whose identity was withheld by the investigation, has been released on parole till formal charges are brought against him and four other persons, one of whom is already convicted and serving sentence for another crime.

With a fresh wave of murders of non-Europeans by Russian skinheads, the Kremlin is reported to be taking firm action and the police have been asked to book attacks against aliens as hate crimes carrying extra punishment under the national penal code.

During his recent live phone-in, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had called for inevitability of punishment for hate crimes.