During a home invasion Monday evening in St. Bernhard-Frauenhofen (Lower Austria), a 52-year-old and his parents, aged 75 and 81, were severely mistreated. “The presumably six perpetrators had threatened the three victims with a gun and knives,” said the police on Tuesday. The residents were handcuffed and locked in the basement. Cash, gold coins and jewelry were stolen.
The strangers masked with black balaclavas had ambushed the son on the property in the village of Poigen when the 52-year-old came home in his car at around 8.30 p.m. The perpetrators attacked the man “as soon as the front door was unlocked with extreme brutality,” as the executive called it, and dragged him up a steep stone staircase to the upper floor of the apartment building. There, the 52-year-old’s parents were dragged out of bed or off the couch.
Victims mistreated, handcuffed and imprisoned
The perpetrators, who, according to the police, spoke with a foreign accent, threatened the residents and repeatedly asked for cash and valuables. “All three victims were dragged through the entire house and massively mistreated,” said the executive. The residents were handcuffed with cable ties and locked in the basement. After around an hour and a half, the perpetrators left the house with their loot.
The 52-year-old was able to break free despite his injuries, break open the locked cellar door and call the police at a neighbor. Like his parents, the man suffered severe bruises on the upper body and head, as well as broken ribs and bruised tears. The three victims were transported to the Horn State Hospital by ambulance.
Perpetrator description
The State Criminal Police Office (robbery and crime scene group) took over the investigation and securing of evidence. The perpetrators are said to be men around 25 years of normal stature who come from abroad. The unknowns were 1.70 to 1.80 meters tall. The man who had the handgun and silencer with him was described as 1.85 to 1.90 meters tall. He is said to have been extremely violent and brutal.
Appropriate information is requested from the State Criminal Police Office on 059133 303333.
According to the description, the perpetrators wore jogging pants, outerwear and balaclavas with slits only in the eye area in black, badly worn sports shoes and work gloves with knobs on the palms. A possible escape vehicle was not known for the time being.