ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, July 29 (UPI) -- Meat thieves have struck again in Russia, taking 20 metric tons from a truck on a road in St. Petersburg, Novosti reports.
"Six unidentified persons approached a Mercedes truck with 20 tons of meat (parked on the roadside) and after threatening the driver with physical harm, took the vehicle," a police spokesman said.
The driver said he had lost 600,000 rubles (about $22,000) in meat, Novosti said.
Friday's incident has echoes of a similar theft that took place in October 2005, when two men approached a truck parked on the roadside for repairs.
The truck carried 31 tons of meat. The men forced the truck driver into their car, pulled a wool hat over his face and drove him around aimlessly for nine hours, Novosti said. Upon returning to the roadside spot, the victim found his truck was gone.
