Mansi Theft Theory
Investigators quickly disproved the idea that the Mansi wanted to rob the hikers. The group’s valuables were still in the tent, including cameras, alcohol, boots, clothes, and food. There were 1,685 rubles, the group’s budget for the trip. Rustem Slobodin alone had 310 rubles, found later in his pockets. There would have been plenty of time for the Mansi to loot the site. They would have been free to take anything they could use and dispose of the remaining items, including the tent and personal effects. They could have erased any evidence of the hiker’s presence in the area. Blaming the Mansi was an easy route, and there were Mansi arrested and questioned, but the Soviet investigators found no evidence against members of the Mansi tribe.