A real drama unfolded on June 15 in the early morning hours in Karaburma – two men, posing as police officers, together with a woman, attacked a girl who was walking down the street at the time and demanded she hand over drugs.
As it turned out, they had falsely identified themselves, and they took a charger and money from the victim. The police later arrested them thanks to a video recording and the girl who documented the entire incident. The victim of this horrific attack, who wished to remain anonymous, recounted in detail what happened that morning on one of the busiest streets in that part of the city.
At the beginning of the conversation, she stated that she was returning from a birthday party that morning and decided to get off the bus a few stops earlier to walk the rest of the way and listen to music. Although she usually avoids coming home late, it was already daylight, so she wasn’t overly concerned.
“As I was walking down the street, I noticed two men watching me from a parked car. It struck me as odd at the moment; however, since it was windy, I was wearing a black hoodie zipped up to the top, with the hood on and my hands in my pockets, so I figured maybe it just looked strange for this time of year,” she began.
She added that she didn’t think much of the men in the car, but just in case, once she had passed the vehicle, she turned and looked over her shoulder.
“That’s when I saw the same men quickly approaching me. They were already very close, and the sidewalk I was walking on was narrow, so I was caught between the bushes and the car and had no chance to escape,” she said.
The girl stated that they immediately grabbed her and threw her to the ground, which prompted her to start yelling loudly for help, hoping someone on the street or in nearby buildings would hear her.
Because she was calling for help, the men claimed they were police officers, allegedly trying to calm her and stop the noise.
“They said it was a routine search and that they were plainclothes police officers on patrol. I was in shock and filled with adrenaline, so I kept resisting, trying to get up, while one of them held me down. I immediately asked them to show badges, and they reached into their pockets, seemingly showing something, but due to the scuffle and being thrown to the ground, I couldn’t clearly see what they were taking out – or if they were showing anything at all,” she said.
She emphasized that the takedown and struggle were “quite violent,” as her jewelry was torn and personal items – including the headphones she was wearing – were broken.
“They told me I caught their attention because of the way I was holding my hands in my hoodie pocket, and then they started questioning me about whether I had anything illegal on me. Because of the shock and how quickly everything happened, at first I didn’t question their legitimacy – I just wanted it all to be over quickly, so I started emptying my pockets and cooperating during the ‘search,’” she explained.
She said she continued speaking loudly in hopes someone nearby would hear her, though she was no longer explicitly calling for help.
“They allowed me to get up so they could conduct the ‘search’ more easily, but they kept physically restraining and roughly pushing me between them. They took everything from my pockets – my phone, ID card, bank card, the cash I had, headphones, and a charger. However, they kept insisting that I had drugs on me, referring back to how I put my hands in my pockets,” she recalled.
She said that since it all lasted about ten minutes, the attackers likely became nervous due to the chaotic scene unfolding on a usually busy street, and so they pushed her into the entrance of a nearby building, which happened to be open at the time.
“There they threw me to the ground again and continued demanding that I hand over the drugs they assumed I had. I was still in shock, but once the initial adrenaline wore off, I started shaking and crying. By then I realized they were not police officers. At least fifteen minutes had passed, and they had taken me into a building entrance where no one from the street could see us. That’s when I began to panic,” she said, adding that it’s still difficult for her to recall the smallest details.
“I’m not sure whether the woman who then entered the building was called in by one of the men or came on her own, but she joined them once I was taken inside, and it was immediately clear she was with them. They introduced her as a female officer who was there to carry out a further search,” she recalled.
She emphasized that from being thrown to the ground, to being searched, pushed, restrained, and taken inside, the attackers were reaching into her pockets, lifting and twisting her clothes, and touching her over the clothing anywhere it was physically possible to hide something.
“The woman who joined them tried to calm me down verbally, but since the implication was that she was there to conduct a more intimate search, I started resisting more forcefully and was thrown to the ground multiple times again while they restrained me,” she said.
One of the men, she said, began threatening to take her to a police station if she didn’t cooperate and that she would be tested for drugs – something she agreed to.
“I continued to act as if I fully believed they were officials because I was afraid they’d take me to the car they came from and somewhere else if they suspected I had realized what was really happening. I was also afraid they’d become more violent if the pretense of being police officers fell apart,” she said.
She added that the woman who came with the two men wasn’t aggressive or threatening.
“She mostly tried to calm me down, likely due to the noise. However, from her demeanor, I could tell that even she wanted this to be over quickly,” she said.
The two men continued insisting she had drugs on her but again allowed her to stand up, which is when she managed to exit the building entrance with them. That’s when, she said, the recording from the apartment window was made.
“As seen in the video, they again threw me to the ground and continued doing what they had been doing, and I kept trying to explain that I had nothing illegal on me and that I was just a random passerby, hoping they’d let me go,” she said.
The girl who recorded the video, according to the victim, shouted from the window that they should leave her alone and that she would call the police – to which one of the men replied that they were the police.
“Like me, the girl from the building asked them to show badges, and again they pretended to show something, then told her to come downstairs where they would show her the badges up close. That invitation had a threatening tone. Then she told them that she recorded the whole situation and would call the police,” she said.
A few minutes later, one of the men returned her phone, ID card, and bank card, and then both men went back to the car.
“The girl who was with them kept trying to calm me down and hugged me. She asked my birth year and told me hers – which was legitimate – showing that she truly wanted to make things easier for me. I then looked around and realized my headphones were missing, so I asked for them back. She took me to the car where the men were sitting and repeated my request. At first, they pretended not to know what I was talking about. She pressured them to just give me the headphones so they could leave, and shortly after, they gave them back – though broken. As soon as I got them, I headed home, still very shaken and in shock. Only as I neared my building did I realize my charger and cash were missing,” she added.
Regarding the motive, the victim stated that although she had no confirmed information, she was fairly sure the attackers intended to seize drugs for themselves, as well as money or anything of value if their assumption turned out to be correct.
“They falsely claimed to be police officers to make everything happen more smoothly and quickly, to ensure cooperation and draw less attention,” she said.
She noted that the girl who was with them was “significantly younger” than the men – roughly half their age.
“I’m not sure in what context she was involved, but I certainly don’t see how their relationship could have been natural or normal. I can’t in good conscience lump them all together, even though she actively participated. Maybe I’m wrong – this is just my judgment in a very stressful situation,” she said.
She said the girl from the building window was of great help, since she’s sure that telling the attackers everything was recorded and that she would call the police is what made them let her go and leave.
“I don’t blame her for not coming downstairs, given that she’s a young girl and was alone. I don’t think intervening in a violent and threatening situation would have been constructive at that moment. After her call, a police officer arrived, but he couldn’t confirm or deny anything without further investigation, which is understandable. I left my contact info, and a few hours later, I got a call from the police informing me they had arrested the perpetrators,” she said.
She noted that she escaped without serious injuries – she suffered superficial scratches and “scraped skin,” but the more severe consequences were emotional and mental distress and shock.
“Unfortunately, this is how I learned that it’s very difficult to think rationally and act calmly in a highly stressful situation like this. Despite the fact that a potentially better course of action seems obvious in retrospect or in hypothetical scenarios,” she said.
She added that she wanted to use this opportunity to provide more context and information to anyone who found the published video disturbing or became concerned for their own safety because of it.
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Source: Kurir; Photo: Printscreen Instagram