DNA convicts thief

Burglary at Tyrolean company solved after 6 years

(Bild: P. Huber)

Good things often take time. This was also the case with a burglary at a company premises in Zams in 2018, when an unknown person emptied the tank of an excavator and siphoned off 90 liters of diesel. The investigation has now led to a Romanian.

Investigators were in the dark for almost six years about a burglary in Zams in 2018. Now a DNA match has provided a crucial clue. But first things first.

Traces of the burglary have been secured, including DNA.

Stefan Eder, Polizeipressesprecher

On the night of April 22, 2018, an as yet unknown perpetrator broke into a company in Zams shortly after midnight. There he siphoned off 90 liters of diesel from an excavator. The crook failed with a second device. The damage amounted to several thousand euros.

After almost six years, the case has been solved, as Stefan Eder, police spokesman, explains: "Traces of the burglary have been secured, including DNA." These could be attributed to a 44-year-old Romanian. The only fly in the ointment: the whereabouts of the suspect are currently unknown.

An unsolved case does not mean that it will be shelved. We are still working on it years later.

Stefan Eder, Polizeipressesprecher

Investigations continued 
According to Eder, it is not unusual for the investigation to drag on for years: "An unsolved case does not mean that it is shelved. We continue to work on it for years afterwards."

According to Eder, there is also an easily explainable reason why the DNA match has only been made now: "It happens from time to time. Especially because science in this area is developing further. That's a matter for forensic medicine, which is always moving forward and there are new methods."