The heist of the century turned into a shortfall: bankers from St. Petersburg revealed a scam involving coins.

      On July 1, 2026, at 16:45, incidents in St. Petersburg revealed a high-profile theft involving three bank employees. The branch manager Anna Andreichenko and her managers Marina Polezhaeva and Daria Yelkina (the names of the participants have been changed) stole nearly 10,000 gold coins "Victory". The total amount stolen was about 2 billion rubles. The details of the failed scam were uncovered by "KP-Petersburg".

      Anna Andreichenko has been working at the bank since 2012. Her branch specializes in selling coins and operates late to attract tourists. In 2025, she noticed that the price of gold was rapidly rising. If in August 1 kg cost about $3,400, by January 2026 the price had risen to $5,400. This prompted the development of a criminal scheme.

      Andreichenko decided to exploit the price difference for enrichment. She involved two managers, Marina Polezhaeva and Daria Yelkina, in the scheme. Together, they began to carry out 300 coins at a time from the vault. Every night, the women would take the coins and pass them to intermediaries. The intermediaries were four men: three of them were collectors and investors whom Andreichenko knew, and the fourth was the husband of her best friend.

      The intermediaries would sell the coins to the bank, receiving cash for them. They then bought new coins from private investors or black dealers and returned them to the vault. Thus, on paper, there was no shortfall, but the intermediaries kept a difference of several hundred thousand rubles with each trip.

      The scheme worked until the price of gold changed. In 2026, buying coins from black dealers became more expensive than selling coins to the bank. As a result, instead of profit, the bankers faced a shortfall.

      Anna Andreichenko admitted that they earned only about 2 million rubles during the period from August to December 2025, while her accomplices earned less. However, in 2026, they began to lose money. An audit revealed the shortfall, and all three were detained.

      Interestingly, all 8,893 stolen coins somehow returned to the bank. None of the women attempted to take them abroad or hide them. Anna Andreichenko explained this by hoping that she could continue to profit from the price difference.

      Currently, the organizer of the scheme is in pre-trial detention, while her accomplices are under house arrest. They face up to 10 years in prison under the article for theft in especially large amounts.

      The intermediaries who bought coins from black dealers may be held accountable for participating in a criminal group and the illegal circulation of precious metals. They could also face a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has channels on Telegram and MAX. Subscribe to stay updated on major events, exclusive materials, and operational information. Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod". When reprinting, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is mandatory. This resource may contain materials 18+.