The key facts

  • A 43-year-old suspect in six apartment thefts in Novokuybyshevsk has been detained; the damage is about 94,000 rubles
  • The method of the crimes matched a series of thefts from past years, for which he had already served time in a penal colony
  • Six criminal cases have been opened and consolidated into a single proceeding; the investigation continues

A string of thefts and an arrest in a wardrobe

In Novokuybyshevsk, a 43-year-old resident of Samara has been detained on suspicion of a series of apartment thefts. This was reported by the police of the Samara Region. In October, six local residents contacted the police: wallets, bags, purses, money, phones and documents had gone missing from their apartments, with total damage amounting to about 94,000 rubles.

A match with a previous series

During examinations of the crime scenes, officers collected fingerprint traces and established that the method of the crimes resembled a series of thefts committed several years earlier — back then, the thief was caught and sent to a penal colony. After his release, he had been living with his partner in Samara. When police came to that address, the suspect tried to hide in a wardrobe but was detained. According to Gazeta.Ru, the man confessed that during his walks he checked the doors of apartment buildings, looked for unlocked apartments and stole property from hallways.

What is known about the case

Six criminal cases of theft with unlawful entry into a home have been opened; they have been consolidated into a single proceeding, and the investigation continues. The reports do not say anything about the fate of the stolen property or possible additional episodes. The article ends with a reference to another case: it was previously reported that a housekeeper cracked a safe and stole 155 gold bars from a Moscow woman — that is a separate incident, unrelated to the Novokuybyshevsk series case.