Men dressed in military camouflage uniforms and armed with automatic rifles robbed the VIP section of the Osh Airport in southern Kyrgyzstan and kidnapped a businessman.
Posing as members of the Interior Ministry commando unit (OMON), the armed men robbed the airport's VIP lounge during the morning of December 27 while passengers were waiting for a flight to the Chinese city of Urumqi.
A spokesperson for the regional police said five armed masked men burst into the VIP area at about 10:00 local time and shouted "Everyone lie down on the floor. This is a special operation!"
The men then took away "three or four packages with cash in them and a man, presumably the owner of the cash," the spokesperson said.
The bandits escaped with the businessman and a search for them continues.