Catching (someone) red-handed

Translation of "catching (someone) red-handed" into Russian

поймать (кого-то) с поличным

The police were catching the thief red-handed as he tried to escape.

Полиция поймала вора с поличным, когда он пытался скрыться.

To catch someone in the act of doing something wrong or illegal, typically at the exact moment the wrongdoing is taking place.