Wallet stolen? Don't call the police

RIGA - After the theft of her passport, driver's license and car documents from her car Oct. 12 , TBT reporter Vineta Lagzdina, received a phone call on her mobile phone from somebody she didn't know.

"If you want your papers back, you must pay me 50 lats ($80) today," the man said, followed by directions to a post office in Agenskalns, an area not far from downtown Riga.

Krists Leiskalns, spokesman for the state police, said a police officer should go with Lagzdina for the rendezvous and gave the phone number to the local police station in Agenskalns.

Lagzdina called the police station, the one where she first reported her documents stolen. The reply was short - go and pay, there should be no problems.

Leiskalns said this is not general procedure for how police officers in Latvia should work, and asked TBT to call back 10 minutes later.

However, in less than 10 minutes Leiskalns called TBT and spoke to Lagzdina, giving her a phone number at a police department which should help.

Lagzdina placed the call but was given similar information.

"The police officer said that 'if I had problems I wouldn't go to the police,' and 'that this was not a criminal case,'" Lagzdina said.

Uncomfortable with the idea going alone, Lagzdina brought two friends.

The man was waiting patiently, though Lagzdina and her friends turned up at the meeting a few minutes after the agreed time, 2 p.m.

The sum of 50 lats was swiftly negotiated down to 5 lats, indicating the man really wanted rid of the documents he was holding.

"At first he only gave me my passport, but when I asked him for the rest, he ran into the post office and collected them for me," Lagzdina said.

Lagzdina was given her documents and then the man introduced himself as "Aivars Ozols" and took Lagzdina with her friend for a walk down the street, where he stopped and pointed toward his alleged address.

Safely back in the office it did not take long until Lagzdina's mobile rang again. It was Ozols asking for more money, but he was categorically denied.

Since the police showed only a lack of interest in the case, no police officer has been contacted by TBT on this matter after Lagzdina bought back her stolen documents.