ARREST OF RUSSIAN.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 458, 20 May 1932, Page 8

ARREST OF RUSSIAN.

Charged with Having Bomb in Possession. (Continued from Page 4.) George Sergeeff, who was arrested at Auckland yesterday for being in possession of bombs, is well known at Lyttelton, where for some time during 1920 he was in business. Sergeeff came to New Zealand soon after ‘the war, and for some time was engaged in the coastal and intercolonial trade as a fireman, serving for some time on the old turret steamer, Koromiko. In the seamen’s disputes, Sergeeff never played a very prominent part, and from what can be gathered, he was not altogether what seamen would term an ideal unionist. Towards the end of 1920. he came ashore at Lyttelton and, renting a shop in Canterbury Street, established a drycleaning business. Later, he transferred to a building in Norwich Quay, near the Bank of New Zealand, where he founded a dry-cleaning company, with which was combined a furrier’s business. He next established himself in Storey’s Building in Manchester Street, near the railway station. Sergeeff sustained a loss when the shop was burned out, and he then transferred to a shop in Colombo Street. About 1922, he left Lyttelton for Auckland, and since then, his whereabouts were unknown to his local acquaintances until the news of his arrest yesterday. It is stated that he visited Lyttelton some time ago as a member of the crew of the freighter Waiotapu. He was not seen ashore.

Sergeeff, who was said to be a Cossack, is short of stature and very strong. He told a number of his acquaintances at Lyttelton, when he first frequented the port while ‘tradin, on the coast, that he had escaped from Russia, where his father, who was in the army, and the rest of his family had been massacred during the revolution. He had managed to escape from Russia by walking across Siberia, to Vladivostock in company with five other Russians, three of whom died on the arduous journey. ACCUSED IN COURT. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, May 20. The Police Court was crowded when George Sergeeff, aged 42, a seaman, appeared on a charge that yesterday he was found in possession of a certain dangerous instrument, a bomb, with intent thereby to commit a crime. The police applied for and were granted a remand till next Friday. No application was made for bail and there were no comments by the police or the accused.