The number of victims of the Viennese taxi driver who allegedly stole expensive watches from his customers continues to rise. 60 victims have now reported to the police. Detectives arrested the man a week ago after months of investigation. The 33-year-old was arrested.
The researchers must now clarify whether the people who have come forward can actually be assigned to the series. The man is said to have repeatedly abused his victims’ heavy drinking during his regular night shifts for a year.
The series became publicly known for the first time in the spring of 2023. There were 22 crimes registered with the police at the time, but there was no decisive information about the taxi driver or the vehicle. Some of the victims stated at the time that the driver may have given them knockout drops in the form of chewing gum or candy.
The first known facts in the series took place in the summer of 2022, Martin Roudny, head of the Vienna State Criminal Investigation Department, Middle East department, said at a press conference last week. During his late-night rides, the taxi driver would not only ask regular customers, but also well-dressed, predominantly male people in front of trendy downtown bars, asking if they needed or had called for a taxi.
In some cases, those affected had actually requested a taxi or Uber and gotten in, thinking it was the driver they ordered. The theft was always only noticed by the drunken victims after they had left the vehicle, which meant that they were later unable to provide any information about the driver, car model or license plate number.
The police investigated Lenker
“Fortunately, a colleague from the Klosterneuburg police station filed a report,” Chief Inspector Andreas Lang, head of the investigation group, reported last week. In June, investigators discovered the vehicle’s license plate number and identified the driver. On the night of last Monday, investigators again observed the driver in his silver Ford Mondeo station wagon and saw a man who fit the pattern of the other victims get into the vehicle in Vienna-Hietzing. On the longer route through the city, the customer fell asleep in the back seat and the driver stayed in a parking lot in Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus for a few minutes before driving on to Währing and dropping off his guest there.
Police officers immediately asked the person who got out if he still had his watch with him. When he said no, the taxi driver was searched, the Rolex in his left pants pocket was seized and the suspect was arrested, Lang reported. An officer was slightly injured during the official act. A subsequent search led to the seizure of further high-end watches that could have come from taxi customers.
Possible further victims or witnesses are requested to contact the LKA Vienna department, Center East (also anonymously) on 01-31310-62800.
Source: Krone
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