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09. 02. 10. - 16:00

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09. 02. 10. - 16:00

Crooks behind 47 Styrian robberies arrested

Crooks behind almost 50 burglaries in Styria have been arrested, police said today (Tues).

They said a gang responsible for 47 break-ins in Graz and the Graz-Umgebung, Deutschlandsberg, Feldbach and Judenburg districts had been caught trying to drive to Croatia following tip-offs from the public.

Gang members including two Croats aged 38 and 33 and a 47-year-old Austrian born in Bosnia-Herzegovina had been responsible for 460,000 Euros in damages, police said.

Police said the gang had concentrated on houses and apartments that they had carefully cased before breaking into them and stealing jewellery, coins, cash and weapons.

The 33-year-old Croat stood watch outside while the other two masked gang members entered the 11 houses and 36 apartments they had broken into through terrace doors or windows with spray to ward off dogs inside and devices to detect real rather than costume jewellery.

Police said the gang had sold on the jewellery in Austria and other countries.

Two gang members had used money from the thefts to finance their addiction to gambling, and the third had paid his debts with it, police said.

The crooks are being held in Graz awaiting trial.

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