06 December 2010, 23:10
Levitan's painting stolen from museum in Makhachkala
On December 4, unidentified criminals stole Levitan's painting named "Burlaki" (Barge Haulers) with estimated value of 100,000 US dollars from the P. Gamzatova Dagestan Museum of Fine Arts in Makhachkala.
As reported in the republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs, the theft was committed on Saturday, December 4, between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. The loss of the painting was detected by the museum staff, who called the militia.
The "Burlaki" painting sized 29 x 13 cm was made by Isaac Levitan in 1860; its estimated cost is about 100,000 US dollars, the "Gazeta.Ru" reports.
According to preliminary reports, one of the thieves distracted the museum keeper, while the other took away the painting, which was not under security alarm. The investigation has CCTV system records, the "Rossiskaya Gazeta" reports.
