MOSCOW, December 5 (Itar-Tass) – Unknown criminals have robbed the famous Russian arts gallery owner Marat Gelman in Moscow, stealing from him a bag where he had put 100,000 rubles /USD 1=RUB 30.8/ in cash.

A source at the Moscow City Interior Department told Itar-Tass the robbery occurred on the downtown Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street. The malefactors attacked Gelman, who had withdrawn some monies from a bank for paying up a New Year trip, and made a getaway in a car.

Gelman said he had taken the money from a safe-deposit box at the bank and went to one of the outlets of the Coffee House chain.

He took a seat at the table at around 7 p.m. and was sitting with his back to the robbers. At a certain moment, they walked up to him and ripped the bag off him.

“Gelman has already submitted a written report to the police and the operatives are currently exempting the video footage from CCTV cameras and considering the institution of a criminal case,” the police source said.

The detectives do not rule out that the criminals might have been tracking Gelman right from the doors of the banks.

Gelman is a famous collector of contemporary arts and the founder of the Marat Gelman Gallery. Also, he is the director of a Center of Contemporary Arts.