Attentive detective stops suspected electronics thieves in Villach!

Attentive detective stops suspected electronics thieves in Villach!

On November 4, 2025, there was an attempted theft of electronics in Villach, in which two Romanian citizens aged 30 and 37 were arrested. At around 1:00 p.m., the suspects attempted to steal electronic items worth several thousand euros. An alert detective was able to overpower the two men and hold them until the police arrived. While the suspicious men were taken into police custody, two other accomplices managed to escape with unknown loot. The exact damage is currently being determined. After the interrogations, the arrested men were brought before the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA), which issued an arrest order for deportation. They were then transferred to the Villach police detention center.

This arrest comes in the context of an alarming trend in Germany, where similar thefts are increasing. In another investigation, a gang of Romanian nationals who acted as “fake caregivers” were exposed and robbed elderly people in assisted living facilities. This group, consisting of seven members between the ages of 32 and 39, is currently in custody. Between mid-April and the beginning of November 2024, they stole at least 174,000 euros in jewelry and cash nationwide, including from two facilities in Wolfratshausen, where cash and items worth approximately 13,000 euros were stolen.

Advanced investigations

The Traunstein public prosecutor's office is conducting the investigation against the suspected gang members after the Traunstein criminal police were able to identify and arrest them. The crime scenes of this extensive series of thefts extend across several federal states, including Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony. The gang is known to have fully committed over 30 thefts and attempted 17. In recent months, investigators have also secured valuable items, such as gold jewelry and diamond rings, from pawnshops in the Duisburg area.

The public prosecutor's investigation aims not only to arrest the perpetrators, but also to protect the elderly, who are often victims of such crimes. The protection of these vulnerable groups and the repatriation of stolen items are the top priority here. According to statistical data from the European Commission, crime against older people is increasing in many European countries, highlighting the need for such investigations , as Eurostat reports.