Video Games Nail Juvenile Thieves

What do three 10-year-olds do when they steal 47 million rubles worth of gold and silver coins from the state mint?They use them to play video games.When the rare coins, which were stolen from a warehouse in southern Moscow, started turning up in neighborhood slot machines and video games, the police were able to trace the June 26 break-in to three offenders, aged between 10 and 12. Apparently unaware of what they might find, the children entered the premises through a fence, broke a window, climbed into the basement, and took nearly 500 gold and silver commemorative coins. They even left a few vodka bottles behind to make it look as if adults had broken in, said Igor Tsyrulnikov, a police spokesman. Although the offenders set off the alarm system, the robbery was only discovered the following day when the security patrol changed shifts. Whether the guards did not hear the alarm or simply ignored it remains unclear.The division in charge of security at the state mint refused to comment on the break-in. "They're a little sensitive right now," said an official at the Finance Ministry.The three suspects are currently being held and questioned.