Readers around the world have been familiar with Arthur Conan Doyle's works about Sherlock Holmes since the 19th century. This insightful detective easily solved the most complex crimes, unafraid to confront criminals. However, unlike the fictional hero, there was a real detective in the Russian Empire, known as the 'Russian Sherlock Holmes,' Ivan Dmitrievich Putilin. Born in Novooskol in the Kursk province, he graduated from St. Petersburg University at the age of 23 and began his service in the police as a junior district inspector.

It was then that his talent as a detective emerged. Complaints about the abundance of counterfeit money were frequent at the Tolkuchy market. Putilin approached the investigation creatively: by disguising himself in various forms, he identified the base of the counterfeiters. As a result, the criminals were convicted and sent to hard labor.

Perhaps it was Putilin who coined the phrase 'to catch a criminal, one must think like a criminal.' He often pretended to be a wrongdoer to infiltrate gangs. Once, he spent a night in a den, listening to the criminals' plans, and the next day the police arrested the gang.

Putilin found himself in danger more than once. Once, his carriage was stopped by a 'gang of devils' demanding money and jewels. He gave everything but chose not to report the attack, deciding to solve the case himself. Together with a subordinate disguised in women's clothing, he set up an ambush. The 'devils' attacked the 'peasant woman,' but were apprehended by the police. Thanks to hundreds of solved cases, Ivan Putilin rightfully earned the nickname 'Russian Sherlock Holmes.'