Police officers in Moscow have arrested a suspect in the theft of a large batch of tulips, said the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs Irina Volk. According to TASS, the value of the batch exceeded 2 million rubles. A criminal case has been initiated under part 4 of article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud committed by a group or on an especially large scale).
According to Ms. Volk, a businesswoman from Arkhangelsk posted an advertisement seeking a courier to deliver tulips from Moscow. An unknown man offered his services to her, finding a driver to transport the flowers. “After the driver set off on the route, the scammer changed the destination address. The unsuspecting driver then delivered the entire batch of flowers there,” wrote the MVD representative on Telegram.
The timing of the incident is not specified. Officers of the Moscow Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the TyNAO region identified the suspect. No information about him is provided. The stolen flowers were returned to the owner.
According to a survey by the Superjob portal, 50% of Russians plan to give flowers on International Women’s Day, celebrated today. According to the “OFD Platform”, the cost of a festive bouquet in 2024 will be 15-20% higher. As analysts point out, prices have been steadily rising since February.