Four Russians Arrested in Halyk Bank Heist Case, Defense Claims No Evidence

Four Russian citizens have been arrested in connection with a major robbery at a branch of Halyk Bank in Kazakhstan. The crime, which involved breaking through a wall to access the bank's vault, resulted in the theft of cash and valuables. According to Russian court documents, the estimated damage amounts to approximately 400 million rubles (around 2.6 billion tenge).

The suspects are charged with theft committed by an organized group on an especially large scale. The investigation indicates that the financial loss affected 23 citizens of Kazakhstan.

However, the defense for one of the detained individuals strongly contests the charges. Lawyer Anastasia Terekhova stated that her client and the other accused are not involved in the robbery. She claims the prosecution's case is based solely on their presence in the city of Pavlodar on the day of the incident.

"My client, his acquaintance, and two other Russian citizens are accused only on the grounds that they were in Pavlodar that day. There are no other pieces of evidence; even a connection between these two pairs of Russian citizens has not been established," Terekhova asserted.

The lawyer explained that her client and his friend were in Pavlodar to inspect vehicles for potential purchase and subsequent resale in Russia. The suspects were detained in January following a joint operation by Kazakhstani and Russian law enforcement agencies.