NIZHNY NOVGOROD, December 29 (RIA Novosti) - A man dressed as Santa Claus locked a sales assistant in the bathroom of the shoe shop where she worked in Ufa, southwest Urals, before stealing all the cash in the store, a police spokesman said on Monday.
"The theft occurred on Sunday at 10:00 am local time (04:00 GMT) when a man dressed as Santa Claus entered the shoe store and stole just over [$3,000]," the spokesman said, "He locked the salesgirl in the restroom and stole more than 100,000 rubles."
The spokesman said that Sunday was payday in the store.
"The fairy tale character may have had an accomplice," he said. "The salesgirl said that someone was holding the restroom door closed while the theft was taking place," he continued.
Christmas in Russia is celebrated on January 7, according to the Gregorian calendar, which the Russian Orthodox Church follows.
A criminal case has been started and a search for the robber has begun.
