A Russian tourist visiting from Arkhangelsk Oblast was robbed of 80,000 rubles during an excursion to the historic Naryn-Kala citadel in Derbent, Dagestan.
The victim realized his purse containing cash and bank cards was missing toward the evening, according to a statement released on the official Telegram channel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan.
After noticing the missing money and cards, the traveler returned to the citadel complex to search the area, but his search produced no results. Law enforcement officers subsequently established that another female tourist had taken the wallet.
Police Investigation and Suspect Statement
The woman denied the allegation of theft when questioned by police. She stated that she noticed an ownerless accessory lying beneath a bench during a guided excursion and picked it up.
The suspect claimed that she initially attempted to identify the owner at the scene. She told investigators that she ultimately threw the purse away along a highway while traveling away from the citadel. Police officers are continuing their formal verification and investigation into the event.
Derbent Citadel and Regional Context
Derbent, located on the narrow coastal strip between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, is widely recognized as one of the oldest cities in Russia. Its central historical landmark, the ancient Naryn-Kala citadel, forms part of a medieval fortification complex designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Arkhangelsk Oblast is a federal subject situated in northern European Russia along the White Sea. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, abbreviated as the MVD, functions as the primary civilian police agency handling criminal investigations throughout Russia.
Recent Luxury Hotel Theft
The incident in Dagestan comes after a separate crime targeting a Russian vacationer, in which a luxury Audemars Piguet watch was stolen from a room at a luxury hotel in Turkey. The victim in that case appealed to her social media followers to publicize the theft. Audemars Piguet is an independent Swiss manufacturer of ultra-luxury mechanical wristwatches based in Le Brassus, Switzerland.
