Four perpetrators in custody

Vienna police break up notorious battering ram gang

An Alfa Romeo as a battering ram, then the gang plundered a luxury boutique in the city.(Bild: LKA W AST Mitte)

They have been up to mischief in Vienna for several years, and now the notorious Rammbock gang is behind bars. The group of criminals operating from Serbia are responsible for nine burglaries in stores, with a total loss of 1.8 million euros. The criminals sold their loot online.

Two years of meticulous investigations lie behind the criminals, but the work has paid off! The Serbian gang is responsible for no less than nine, sometimes spectacular, coups. The perpetrators always followed the same pattern: After arriving in the federal capital, they would first scout out their targets for a while, then steal cars near the crime scenes and use them as battering rams or getaway vehicles.

The burglaries themselves then took place in a flash - within a maximum of two minutes, the Serbs cleared out the stores and immediately made off again. Some victims were hit several times, such as a store for expensive cameras in Neubau and a high-end boutique in the city center. However, the gang made their biggest haul at a jewelry store in Brigittenau, where they made off with 150,000 euros worth of loot in one fell swoop. It was to be their last coup ...

Three perpetrators filmed in the photography store in Neubau(Bild: LKA W AST Mitte)

Here, too, the perpetrators used a car as a battering ram(Bild: LKA W AST Mitte)

The loot: high-priced cameras and accessories(Bild: LKA W AST Mitte)

The gang made a big haul from a jeweller in Brigittenau(Bild: LKA W AST Mitte)

International cooperation
Investigations were difficult at first, but over time the puzzle fell into place. The trail led to Serbia, where the local authorities actively helped to bring the perpetrators to justice. After a long period of surveillance, they managed to catch them in the act.

 Officers from the State and Federal Criminal Police Office tracked down the gang again in Vienna, and with the help of the Cobra special unit, the handcuffs clicked for three men - just a few days before they were to pull off their tenth coup.

This case is a prime example of how national and international cooperation in the police sector can and should work.

Petra Huber-Lintner, Leiterin des Büros für allgemeine Kriminalität im Bundeskriminalamt

Quartet already convicted
A fourth perpetrator was caught on the run at the Spielfeld border crossing in Styria, and two other suspects are still being sought. Four men, including the 48-year-old main perpetrator, have since been sentenced to prison terms of between 20 months and six and a half years.