MOSCOW, August 14 (RAPSI) – Moscow’s Golovinsky District Court ordered the detention of two men charged with stealing a rare caracal kitten valued at over $12,000 from a woman in Moscow, the court told RIA Novosti.

The defendants will remain detained until September 24, the court’s spokesperson said.

The incident took place on June 24 in northern Moscow. According to the police, the woman invited two people into her apartment after they introduced themselves as potential buyers of the kitten. The woman claimed the suspects produced a gun and took $13,804 in cash and a rare caracal kitten worth $12,147.

The defendants face up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

The kitten has not been found yet, the police representative said.

A caracal is a short-haired feline resembling a lynx with black tufts on the tips of its ears. The caracal is included in the international book of endangered species. The cat’s average length is 85 cm (33 inches), plus a 25-cm tail; it stands at about 45 cm (18 inches) tall at the shoulders. A caracal typically has sand-colored fur on the back and white fur on the belly.