I was pretty much just minding my own business right outside the Kremlin, near the Okhotny Ryad shopping mall. It was after dark, but there were plenty of people around - no reason to be especially alert. A man about ten paces in front of me 'accidently' had a clip of papers and cash drop out of his pocket. A second man - I'm not sure if he was in on it all - a few feet to my left picked it up. He started to shout at the man ahead; I continued moving because the whole situation really didn't concern me. All of the sudden, he got another idea, and sidled up to me, asking and motioning whether I wanted to split the money with him. I shook my head, pointing at the first guy, who at this precise moment, realized something was missing. He turned around, saw me pointing, concluded that we had picked up his money. He came over, the clip was handed back to him, and I thought everything was good.
Then a police officer appeared. He came up to the three of us, flashed his badge, then asked to see some ID. This isn't unheard of - any guidebook will tell you Russian police may stop and ask to see your passport. Meanwhile, Guy #1 is still babbling something in Russian, mixing in the words "US dollar", as if he was missing more money than was on the clip. The officer had Guy #2 turn out his pockets. At this point, I'm beginning to get suspicious. When he asked me to do the same, I hesitated. "It's okay, it's okay," he kept repeating. In the end, I went along with it. I never carry US dollars in my wallet anyways (it's tucked away in a secret pocket in my money belt) and I knew my 500 roubles were safe. They were obviously looking for US dollars.
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced it was a setup. Why would a Russian be carrying anything other than Russian roubles? And the timing of everything - when the guy noticed something was missing, when the police officer appeared - was just a little too perfect to be coincidence. Guy #2 I'm not sure what to make of. He too could've been at the wrong place at the wrong time like me, though I can also see what his role could've been: To try and get the clip in my hands so as to incriminate me. It's a good thing I didn't bite, and my cash was carefully tucked away where it was inaccessible. Had they actually found US dollars on me, who knows what might've happened.
Then a police officer appeared. He came up to the three of us, flashed his badge, then asked to see some ID. This isn't unheard of - any guidebook will tell you Russian police may stop and ask to see your passport. Meanwhile, Guy #1 is still babbling something in Russian, mixing in the words "US dollar", as if he was missing more money than was on the clip. The officer had Guy #2 turn out his pockets. At this point, I'm beginning to get suspicious. When he asked me to do the same, I hesitated. "It's okay, it's okay," he kept repeating. In the end, I went along with it. I never carry US dollars in my wallet anyways (it's tucked away in a secret pocket in my money belt) and I knew my 500 roubles were safe. They were obviously looking for US dollars.
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced it was a setup. Why would a Russian be carrying anything other than Russian roubles? And the timing of everything - when the guy noticed something was missing, when the police officer appeared - was just a little too perfect to be coincidence. Guy #2 I'm not sure what to make of. He too could've been at the wrong place at the wrong time like me, though I can also see what his role could've been: To try and get the clip in my hands so as to incriminate me. It's a good thing I didn't bite, and my cash was carefully tucked away where it was inaccessible. Had they actually found US dollars on me, who knows what might've happened.
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