Four defendants

Vienna: Taxi drivers took luxury watches from their passengers

Several expensive watches were stolen by the four cab drivers in Vienna.(Bild: Harald Dostal, zVg, Krone KREATIV)

The trial against three Turkish cab drivers and a suspected fence began on Tuesday in Vienna's regional court. The taxi drivers are said to have taken dozens of luxury watches - worth between 5,000 and 38,000 euros - from their drunk passengers when they fell asleep during the journey.

The coups went on for four years, starting in 2019. Before the first defendant came to light during surveillance. On September 4, 2023, the trap was sprung. An undercover investigator wearing a Rolex got into Yakup T.'s (33) cab that night. "Then the officer pretended to be asleep," reports the public prosecutor. According to the prosecutor, the alleged main perpetrator parked the cab, waited around ten minutes until he opened the wristwatch's safety catch and hid the secretly removed watch in his left trouser pocket.

The four accused are alleged to have committed serious thefts as part of a criminal organization.(Bild: Anja Richter)

After the arrest, several brand-name wristwatches were recovered, while others were sold on. "It was a unique modus operandi of a criminal organization. They exchanged information about potential victims via a WhatsApp group and gave each other tips," said the public prosecutor. 

Lawyer Rudolf Mayer defends the first defendant.(Bild: Gerhard Bartel)

Long list of witnesses
Lawyer Rudolf Mayer, defending the first defendant, criticized the fact that the police had called on other potential victims to come forward and published a picture. His client admits to some of the thefts charged, but says he did not commit some of them. The 34-year-old Turk also took part in a robbery. He is also accused of money laundering and forgery - he faces up to ten years in prison. The trial will last several days due to the large number of witnesses called.