In St. Petersburg, two suspects were detained after allegedly assaulting a 35-year-old man and forcing him into a car to obtain a large sum of money. The incident was reported on the Telegram channel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region.
Authorities said investigators quickly identified the people involved. One suspect, a 25-year-old resident of a neighboring province, was apprehended elsewhere on charges of weapons possession and smuggling. The second suspect, 26, was detained in the Nevelsky district of the Pskov region, according to the police statement.
The assault occurred on December 3 on Krasnoputilovskaya Street in St. Petersburg. Police described attackers who allegedly pretended to be related to a visitor from a Central Asian republic. They forced the victim into a Lada sedan, sprayed tear gas inside the cabin, and fled with $300,000. The case is being treated as theft under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
A prisoner in the Pskov region was reported to have $20,000 in cash seized during a search. According to officials, the 35-year-old Tajik national had traveled to St. Petersburg with a package containing a substantial amount of money that became the target of the robbery.
Further details revealed that the man had previously visited St. Petersburg. Authorities also noted the crackdown on a gang of car thieves who specialized in stealing Hyundai Solaris and Kia Rio models and who were linked to the recent case.