Tourist Reports Seeing Missing Student Anna Tsomartova in Dubai
The Tsomartov family, who have been searching for their eldest daughter Anna for almost two years after she vanished without a trace, has received another tip from the UAE. A tourist described where and with whom she saw a girl very similar to their daughter. The athlete«s mother told a 161.RU correspondent that the woman who contacted her fully described the girl»s clothing and even her athletic gait.
Anna Tsomartova is a student at the Rostov Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a native of North Ossetia. She arrived in Kaspiysk on 10 February 2024 for the Southern and North Caucasus Federal Districts Thai boxing championship. After the competition, Tsomartova left the Ali Aliyev Sports Palace and went for a walk along the embankment, where she wandered onto the territory of an FSB sanatorium. She stayed there for 40 minutes, then vanished without a trace. Her body was not found in the sea.
The tourist noticed a girl resembling Anya in a Monoprix store—a global chain of grocery supermarkets.
«I might be mistaken, but I think I saw Anna yesterday in the Monoprix store located in the Dubai Creek Harbour area. She was wearing light-colored athletic pants and a dirty-pink hoodie with the hood up,» the woman told Diana. «She was with a guy who is slightly shorter than her, wearing glasses. I followed them out, wanted to get a closer look, but didn»t make it in time; they entered the building where this store is located.«
The tourist reported that the young couple entered the store through a secondary entrance common in Dubai residences. This was around nine in the evening. She also said that at first glance, the girl in the store seemed taller than Anya; all missing persons notices list her height as 164 centimeters (5 feet 5 inches).
«They went into the store, but it seems they didn»t buy anything and left. Because while I was telling my husband about this, they started to exit, and there were lines at the checkout. So they couldn«t have paid that quickly. I went out after them and saw them entering the building,» the tourist said.
The Dubai Creek Harbour area, where the Monoprix store is located, is quite bustling. Anna«s mother asked the tourist to return to the store.
«She provided the address and said she saw a girl there who supposedly resembled Anya. After lengthy negotiations, I asked her to go there again on her own and inquire with the staff about security cameras,» Diana said. «I also asked my acquaintances and friends who were in Dubai at that time. She went there at three o»clock the next day and asked the store employees to view the security camera footage. The saleswoman replied that it was not within her authority. I asked the girl to call the store security and get help.«
Diana Tsomartova explained to the tourist that it was necessary to contact the head of security and report that she had seen a girl resembling Anya, who is on an international wanted list.
«The tourist from Dubai said that when she saw this girl, she kept thinking in her head that she had seen this face before. She remembered that she looks like our Anya, then she wrote to me,» Diana said. «Hesitating with her husband, she didn»t immediately realize to follow the couple. She said, «it dawned on me that this face I saw in the notices,» which concerned people in Dubai are circulating. I use every attempt to find my daughter.«
«The head of security came out to her, and she explained everything. Since they can only conduct a check based on a report, the head of security promised her that he would review the cameras and compare them with the photo of Anna that I sent her,» Diana said. «If the resemblance is indeed strong, he promised to contact me via the phone number the tourist left.»
The Investigative Committee of Russia has sent an official request to Azerbaijan regarding the search for Rostov athlete Anna Tsomartova, who went missing more than a year and a half ago. Earlier, law enforcement in Baku checked security cameras where, according to a witness, they saw a girl very similar to Anna. The information was not confirmed, but the Russian Investigative Committee decided to verify this version and through Interpol channels.
Relatives are convinced that Anna was kidnapped. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case, which remained in Dagestan for the first eight months. During this time, law enforcement found no leads. The Tsomartovs eventually managed to have the case transferred to the capital, and now they hope for an objective investigation. The case is being handled by the Investigative Committee of Russia. There are 12 volumes. For their daughter«s return, the parents announced a reward of five million rubles (about $50,000 at current rates). In March 2024, Anna was declared in international search.
We have been following the Tsomartov family«s story since February 2024.
