South of Graz

Post office robbed: Police catch perpetrator

This branch in Premstätten was robbed(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

A suspected robber was caught on Thursday afternoon after a robbery at a post office in Premstätten (district of Graz-Umgebung) following a short escape.

At around 2.20 p.m., the Tyrolean entered the post office unarmed, where there were two employees but no customers. According to the Styria Police Department, the 61-year-old did not grab an employee by the shirt sleeve and said: "Robbery, give me the money!" However, he was unable to find any cash in the open store behind the sales counter, so the 61-year-old fled without any loot. An employee followed the perpetrator for a short distance before he got into a van and drove south.

An immediate manhunt was successful: a suspect was stopped shortly after the robbery. A patrol from Premstätten caught him. His vehicle was not registered for traffic and the man had allegedly stolen the license plates two weeks earlier in the Graz area. When questioned, he stated that he was heavily in debt and had acted out of financial necessity. The man has a relevant criminal record and is to be taken to prison, the police reported. The employees of the post office suffered a shock and were not injured.