Just as the police arrived

Pickpockets paid with a stolen card

The sausage must have stuck in their throats. Two professional pickpockets were arrested at a Viennese snack bar just as they were about to pay with an ATM card they had stolen shortly before. A total of around 50 crimes were attributed to the duo in Linz and Vienna.

Following a massive increase in pickpocketing in the city of Linz, starting on January 12, investigations were launched by the Upper Austrian State Office of Criminal Investigation. In cooperation with the Vienna Criminal Police Office, further crimes committed in Vienna were attributed to the group of offenders. Arrest warrants were obtained from the Linz public prosecutor's office against the suspects, a 21-year-old and a 23-year-old, both Romanian nationals, who have since been identified.

Arrested at a food stall
After a further series of pickpocketing incidents began in Vienna on February 7 and these crimes could be clearly attributed to the suspects, special patrols were carried out. The two Romanians were found and arrested at a snack stand on Kärntner Ring in Vienna on February 12. They had just paid there with an ATM card they had stolen from a criminal offense.

Overwhelming burden of proof
During questioning, the two confessed to a number of pickpocketing offences, not least due to the overwhelming burden of proof provided by video evidence. According to the current state of the investigation, around 50 crimes can be attributed to them. Possible accomplices and other crimes have also been identified; the investigation is still ongoing. The two suspects were taken to Linz prison.