Burglars caused around 600,000 euros in damage

The 20-year-old is accused of at least 18 burglaries, which he had committed since last December, mainly in jewelry and jewelery shops or studios in the Josefstadt and Neubau districts. This was announced by the Vienna police on Sunday. The young man is already in custody.

100,000 euros property damage

The investigations were carried out by the Vienna State Criminal Police Office, central branch (citizens’ group). The 20-year-old always used the same method for his actions. In order to get inside the shops, he smashed the glass doors or window panes of the shops. Of the total damage amounting to 600,000 euros, property damage alone accounts for around 100,000 euros, police spokesman Markus Dittrich reported.

The 20-year-old is also accused of trying to blow up an ATM in an Asian restaurant in the Neubau district with a stolen gas bottle. There was significant property damage, but the perpetrator was unable to collect cash. He also broke into CBD stores twice.

Loot sold on the internet

Investigators tracked down the suspect when they discovered that parts of the stolen jewelry had been offered for sale on an internet platform. A search was launched for the well-known Afghan behind the offers, but he was not staying in Austria.

The 20-year-old was finally arrested in March 2023 in a jewelry store on Alsergrund. There the young man wanted to sell jewelry that he had previously stolen during a burglary in Josefstadt.

Stolen goods found in underground car park

The accused refused to testify, and he also said nothing about the whereabouts of the rest of the stolen goods. According to Dittrich, the investigators managed to narrow down an area and secure numerous valuables in an underground car park in the Neubau district by checking the man’s movement patterns. The 20-year-old had deposited the things there “everywhere he found cavities or pipe covers,” the police spokesman reported.

Weapons and storage jars containing cannabis flowers were also confiscated. The 20-year-old is already in a prison by order of the Vienna public prosecutor.