22,000 euros in damage – Salzburg playing card thief caught in Vienna

A 34-year-old Serbian from Salzburg gained access to a store in Salzburg-Maxglan on the night of December 30 with a duplicate key. The goal of his loot tour: 5,800 trading cards from the games “Pokemon”, “Yu-Gi-Oh!” and “Magic: The Gathering” worth more than 80,000 euros.

Viennese operators knew the injured person personally
The 34-year-old then sold some of the tickets to two shops in Vienna in February. But when he started offering goods again at the end of March, the shopkeepers there, who know the Salzburg operator who suffered the damage and heard about the break-in, raised the alarm and alerted the police. The officials stopped the alleged perpetrator and his companion, a 24-year-old, in one of the stores in the federal capital. They were also able to secure part of the stolen goods on the spot. Both initially denied the allegations. The Serb stated that the cards are his own private collection. The companion confirmed this.

Part of the tickets sold
During a later interrogation by the responsible detectives in Salzburg, the 34-year-old made a confession. He cited family and financial problems as the reason for his crime. The trading cards seized in Viennese shops and in the man’s apartment have now been returned to their rightful owner. The Serbian had already sold more than 2,000 copies. These could not be recovered. The result: damage of about 22,000 euros.

The convicted perpetrator was reported for burglary, his Salzburg companion for receiving stolen goods.