Cat detained on illegal mission at Russian prison
By Associated Press
Jun 4, 2013 2:55 AM CDT
In this handout photo taken on Friday, May 31, 2013 and released by press service of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service for the Republic of Komi, guards show a cat which they catch on clandestine mission at the Penal Colony No. 1 near the city of Syktyvkar in the Komi province, 1,000 kilometers...   (Associated Press)

Inmates at Russia's prisons have been known to bribe guards to obtain cellphones. But using cats as couriers?

Guards patrolling a prison colony in Russia's north saw a feline on the fence and it seemed to be carrying something. On a closer look, they found a few cellphones and chargers taped to the cat's belly.

The federal prison service said Monday that this happened on Friday at Penal Colony No. 1 near the city of Syktyvkar in the Komi province, 1,000 kilometers (some 600 miles) northeast of Moscow.

It wasn't clear how the cat was supposed to drop off its loot.