The threat of high penalties

Attacks invented by “victims” are not uncommon

A search for a perpetrator went on for hours in the Innviertel region at the weekend before it turned out that the "victim" had wielded the knife himself. As the "Krone" reports, such invented cases are not uncommon ...

(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

Police in the Innviertel region spent hours searching for an alleged attacker with an alert - but, as reported, he was just a figment of their imagination. It happens time and again that assaults and physical attacks are invented. Psychological problems are usually the cause.

There are always made-up attacks and assaults in Upper Austria. A year ago, a jogger (21) stabbed herself in the stomach in Fröbelstraße in Linz: "A robber stabbed me", said the young woman. This March, she admitted that she had made it all up. Motive: she wanted to show how dangerous it is in Linz's Franckviertel.

Didn't want to walk
A man from Wels (22) called the emergency services and reported that he had been knocked down, robbed and injured. The ambulance took him to hospital - later it turned out that he had made everything up. This was because he did not want to walk from the Pernau district of Wels to the city center.

Company money embezzled
And a German (39) filed a complaint with the highway police in Ried im Innkreis. He explained that an unknown perpetrator had pressed a sharp object against his back in a parking lot in Haag am Hausruck. "If you stay calm, nothing will happen to you. Give me your money," the robber is said to have said and then fled with 1100 euros. During more detailed questioning, however, the alleged victim became entangled in contradictions. The German finally admitted that he had made up the robbery because of high debts. He had hidden the money.

Money suitcase theft invented because ...
But a husband from Steyr (42) took the cake: He had gone to the police and reported the theft of a suitcase containing 465,000 euros. A Romanian couple had asked him for directions. In a careless moment, the woman snatched the suitcase from his hand and the two disappeared. He explained to the suspicious officers that the money was a lottery win that he had first invested in Hungary, but had later withdrawn.

... Lottery winnings squandered
When questioned in detail, however, he buckled and admitted that he had invented the robbery from start to finish. In reality, he had squandered the entire lottery winnings of 370,000 euros in just four years, which he did not dare tell his wife.

Countless cases at home and abroad
There are also dozens of such cases in other German states. In Germany, singer Gil Ofarim caused a huge stir in 2021 by claiming to have been stopped from checking in by a hotel manager because of his Star of David. Two years later, he had to admit in court that the accusation of anti-Semitism was fabricated - he had simply not felt like waiting in line.

Knife attack also fantasy
The alleged knife attack in St. Pantaleon also turned out to be purely invented: The 40-year-old Pole had reported that an unknown Arab attacker had rammed the blade through his cheek. After an unsuccessful search lasting several hours with dogs, drones, a helicopter and numerous other forces from Upper Austria and Salzburg, it emerged during interrogation on Saturday that the mentally ill Pole had in fact injured himself. He was subsequently admitted to the psychiatric ward of Braunau Hospital due to an acute risk of self-harm.