A little girl told the police that she saw a man wearing a mask under her bed: no one believed her until they checked the surveillance camera footage

It was an ordinary evening. The city streets were filled with the soft glow of streetlights, and people were hurrying about their business: someone was walking a dog, someone was coming home from work, someone was chatting by a shop. A police patrol, a gray SUV with the characteristic stripe, was moving slowly along the sidewalk. Inside were two officers — Kowalev and Melnikova.

— Quiet tonight, — Kowalev yawned, looking out the window.

— I wish it were always like this, — Melnikova smiled, — but usually this calm is just the eye of the storm.

Before she could finish her sentence, a little girl ran out of the entrance of one of the buildings — about five years old, no older. Blonde hair, pajamas with bunnies, barefoot. Panic on her face.

She ran straight toward the patrol car. Kowalev slammed on the brakes, and the officers jumped out.

— Hey, are you okay? — Melnikova crouched down in front of the girl.

— You… you’re police, right? — the girl gasped.

— Yes, sweetie. What happened?

— Under my bed… there’s a man. He’s wearing a mask. I saw him.

— Where are your parents? — Kowalev frowned.

— Mom is in the bathroom. I shouted to her, but she told me not to scare her.

The officers exchanged a glance. It seemed like a child’s imagination, but the girl’s eyes were trembling with fear.

— What did he look like? — Melnikova asked gently.

— Black clothes. Mask like a ninja. I woke up and saw him crawling under the bed. He thought I was asleep…

— And you ran away? — Kowalev asked.

— Yes. Right away. I hid in the closet, but then I saw your car out the window…

— Okay, — Melnikova nodded. — Let’s go check. Better to be sure.

The apartment was on the third floor. The girl’s mother — a frightened and embarrassed woman in a robe — assured them that she hadn’t heard anything and thought her daughter was just scared of the dark.

— Lately she often says that something hides in the corner, — the woman apologized. — She has a vivid imagination.

The officers checked the room with flashlights. Under the bed, it was empty.

— Maybe he ran away… — whispered the girl at the door. — But I really saw him. Honestly!

Kowalev was about to make a joke, but Melnikova stopped him with a gesture.

— Wait. Let’s check the cameras. The girl’s look is too confident. You can’t make this up.

What they saw on the footage shocked everyone 

Watching the street cameras turned the whole thing into a real thriller. About fifteen minutes before the girl appeared on the street, a robbery was recorded in a neighboring building. Two criminals in black clothes ran out of the entrance with bags in their hands.

On another camera, it could be seen that during the chase, one of them noticed the patrol car, sharply turned the corner, and then… climbed the drainpipe and slipped through a slightly open window into the third-floor apartment — exactly where the girl lived.

— There he is… — Melnikova sighed. — And this was literally one minute before she ran to us.

In the next clip, you can see the man jump out of the window of the apartment on the opposite side of the building and disappear into the yard.

The criminal was caught the next day — his accomplice was arrested at night and gave him up to receive a lighter sentence.