vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #160 / Crime watch / Reading article...

Cops catch AWOL private armed with AK-47

A private armed with an AK-74 and 60 live cartridges fled from the post where he stood guard Jan. 24 and was found by police a day later. Vyacheslav Pirozhkov deserted from his unit in Lesozavodsk (about 240 km from Vladivostok), but didn’t cause any accidents.

Cherepkov’s dacha burglarized north of Vladivostok

Thieves robbed Mayor Victor Cherepkov’s dacha, walking off with 2,000 new rubles’ worth of tomato and cucumber propping sticks, zinc cases for cartridges, copper tubes, and other items made of non-ferrous metals. Cherepkov’s son Vladimir, 23, reported the theft Jan. 25, saying it could have happened between Nov. 1, 1997 and Jan. 25, 1998. The dacha is located in Volno-Nadezhdinsk, a few kilometers from Vladivostok.

Container of illegal alcohol found on street downtown

Police found a container with pure alcohol, used for making illegal vodka, in Vladivostok Jan. 25. The container also had empty bottles, excise-duty stamps and various vodka lables. Police determined that the property was owned by a 22-year-old man and 19-year-old woman.

Arseniev police allege embezzlement in City Hall

Police in Arseniev uncovered large embezzlements in the City Hall’s social security department recently. Employees there allegedly pocketed 50 million old rubles. This estimate may increase as more documentation is checked. The suspected embezzlers took money earmarked for children’s benefits, as well as funeral service allowances.

Police find quicksilver on No. 7 tram

Police found quicksilver in a No. 7 tram at the Tretya Rabochaya stop Jan.26 after an unidentified man reported seeing the substance. Officers collected about 10 grams of the liquid metal, considered a hazardous material. No culprits are detained, investigation is underway.

Driver rams minitruck stuffed full of money

A driver ran into a cash collecting truck that was hauling five tons of money on a highway 24 km away from Nakhodka Jan. 27. On collision the truck rolled into the reverse lane and hit a minitruck. The minitruck’s driver and his passenger were seriously wounded and rushed to a hospital. The driver was released with no serious injuries. A reinforced detail that came to the scene reloaded the money from the damaged vehicle and the cash collectors went on.

Two-thirds of all Primorye’s crime solved in 1997

Police says 50,976 crimes occurred in Primorye last year, two thirds of which were solved. The crimes included 541 homicides, 965 grievous bodily harm cases, 95 rapes, 22,509 thefts and 2,206 robberies.