Gang of bad Santas caught robbing pedestrians

While the real Santa Claus is only drawing up his Christmas schedule, some unlucky Moscow pedestrians have already bumped into his phony colleagues.

One of the victims was able to remember the license plate of the robbers’ getaway car. This helped the police, who found several Santa costumes in the trunk.Police have arrested a gang of muggers who disguised themselves with fake beards and Santa hats. The festively-clad criminals preyed on lone pedestrians outside metro stations. They threatened them with a gun or knife, robbing the victims for money and jewelry.

Vladimir Kremlev for RT (click to enlarge)

Ironically, this happened just as the real Santa (Ded Moroz, in Russian) arrived in Moscow on a working visit.

Santa told journalists that he intended to visit all the towns and cities across Russia, and is now finalizing his schedule.

He also said that he was looking forward to hanging out with his foreign colleagues once the working season is over.

“I love meeting friends when work is done,” Ded Moroz said. “Santa Claus treats me well, like a VIP guest. We always ride around on reindeer – though I personally prefer horses. What could be better than a Russian troika?”

Read more about Ded Moroz on Russiapedia

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