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Pop Singer Nikolai Baskov Robbed

Baskov pictured in a recent photograph. He lost $68,000 in cash and goods. Unknown
Robbers have made off with $68,000 in cash and valuables belonging to opera turned pop singer Nikolai Baskov, police and the singer said Wednesday.

Several unidentified assailants mugged Baskov's driver around 10 p.m. Tuesday on Slavyansky Bulvar in western Moscow. The driver was carrying the singer's briefcase, which contained the cash and valuables, a police spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman declined to provide further details. Baskov could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

In radio interviews Wednesday, however, Baskov said the muggers attacked his driver and took the briefcase, which contained his internal and foreign-travel passports, a diamond ring, cuff links, a copy of his new album and 50,000 euros he was to pay to the studio that had produced the record.

"My foreign-travel passport has a Shengen visa and, I think, an American visa," Baskov told Radio Mayak. "I have a tour that begins on March 10 in Spain. Now I have to replace these documents."

The web site Dni.ru reported that Baskov's cuff links were embossed with his initials.

Baskov's spokeswoman, Olesya Demidova, said the driver had left Baskov's apartment and stopped by the car to place the briefcase in the trunk.

"That was when the unidentified men attacked him and took the briefcase," Demidova told RIA-Novosti.

Alexei Bakhromeyev, a spokesman for the police department's criminal investigations division, said no suspects had been detained in connection with the robbery as of Wednesday afternoon. He declined to provide further comment.

Citing unidentified sources familiar with the investigation, Noviye Izvestia reported on its web site Wednesday that there was no video surveillance footage of the robbery and that investigators had not ruled out the possibility that the mugging was staged.

Baskov, a ubiquitous singer who has brought an operatic flavor into Russia's pop music world, is not the only pop singer to have had valuables stolen in recent months.

Transport police in Novosibirsk returned a Breguet watch worth 98,000 euros ($195,000) to singer Filipp Kirkorov in January after it had been stolen from him during a concert there in November.

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