After a chase

Dornbirn police catch Romanian thieves

The brazen bicycle thieves struck in broad daylight and used a battery-powered flex.

(Bild: Stadt Dornbirn)

The thieving duo stole almost 70 high-quality bicycles in Dornbirn between January and August. After an attentive observer reported another theft, the police launched a manhunt. The handcuffs clicked for two Romanians last week after a short chase.  

According to the current state of the investigation, the damage caused by the Romanian thieving duo amounts to a whopping 42,000 euros. Their actions were also particularly brazen: In broad daylight and without giving a damn about possible passers-by, the two used a battery-powered flex to break open bicycle locks. They preferred to "help themselves" to the bike racks at the valley station of the Karren cable car, at the hospital and at the ford.

The Romanians' plan worked for almost eight months. At the end of August, however, "Commissioner Chance" came to the aid of the police - the latest coup was reported to the city police by a witness. In the course of a major manhunt, including a chase, the city and federal police managed to stop two Romanians. The duo, who had two bicycles and burglary tools in their vehicle, were arrested last Tuesday and have since been in prison in Feldkirch.  

Special commission set up
A special task force has now been set up to investigate the case. During further searches, house searches and crime scene work, a further nine bicycles were seized. It quickly became clear that the perpetrators had targeted high-value bicycles.

It also turned out that the two thieves were obviously not only active in Austria. An initial DNA trace analysis led to a burglary abroad. Investigations are therefore currently underway at international level, which could lead to the discovery of further possible crimes. Among other things, further DNA matches are being made, cell phone data is being determined and further trace reports are being evaluated, according to the police.

From the point of view of the police, it is surprising that there have been no reports to the police about the thefts that have occurred since January. After all, the bike locks had been broken open during the day using an angle grinder. As this is not a completely silent operation, the officers suspect that this may well have been heard and observed. They are asking the public to report actions of this kind immediately in future.