A suspect in the theft of an icon from a church was detained in Rostov-on-Don.

In Rostov-on-Don, police officers detained a suspect in the theft of an icon from the church of St. Seraphim of Sarov. This was announced on March 29 by the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia Irina Volk.

It is specified that in the afternoon the malefactor entered the temple, removed the Kazan icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the wall, and then disappeared. On the same day, law enforcement officers established that a 58-year-old local resident with a criminal record could be involved in the crime. He was subsequently detained at his place of residence, where the police found the stolen image.

A criminal case has been opened against the detainee under Article 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Theft"). As a preventive measure, he was given a written undertaking not to leave and an obligation to observe proper behavior.

In January, during a christening in a church in Chelyabinsk, a family stole a centennial icon of the Mother of God. The footage of the incident, which appeared at the disposal of Izvestia, shows how two men committed the theft after crossing themselves. The suspects turned out to be two local residents, who were subsequently detained.