Threatened with a knife

13-year-old injured woman and robbed her

Symbolic image

(Bild: P. Huber)

Unbelievable scenes took place in the house of a 60-year-old woman from Lustenau on Thursday afternoon. A 13-year-old boy appeared there completely out of the blue, threatened and injured her with a kitchen knife and forced her to hand over valuables.

Armed with a kitchen knife about 20 centimetres long, the young boy forced his way into the garden and then into the owner's house at around 3.30 p.m. on Thursday. When she discovered him, the 13-year-old stabbed her and injured her face. The injured homeowner's cut later had to be treated at Dornbirn City Hospital. 

Major manhunt with helicopter
He then forced her to give him cash and other valuables. The young robber then fled. However, he did not get very far. The police launched a large-scale manhunt, which also involved the air police. Video footage from the robbed woman's property was also analyzed. It did not take long for the police to catch the criminal.  

The young lad was caught at his parents' house. All the loot and the murder knife were recovered. The 13-year-old was first questioned by officers from the Provincial Criminal Police Office and then handed over to his parents or guardians.

Nothing is known about the reasons for the crime or whether he had been noticed before. The police will send a report to the public prosecutor's office - but as juveniles in Austria are only liable to prosecution from the age of 14, the young boy does not have to expect any legal consequences.