A Samara woman whose wallet was stolen by a pickpocket on a city tram caught the culprit days after the crime when he tried to treat himself to a night at the theater using her tickets, the regional branch of the Interior Ministry said in a statement Monday.
After the incident in late September, the woman remembered that her stolen wallet had contained tickets to the theater, so on the night of the performance she went to the theater and explained her situation to the administration. She was allowed into the venue to claim the seats she had paid for.
A few minutes before the start of the show, a couple arrived and tried to claim the woman's seats by presenting the stolen tickets. But the woman recognized the man she had suspected of stealing her wallet on the tram the previous week and immediately contacted the police, the police statement said.
The suspect was detained in the theater and now faces criminal charges for theft, which carry a maximum punishment of two years behind bars. Police said the suspect had prior convictions and had only recently been released from prison.
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