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Austria Now News – St. Pölten
A 57-year-old Kosovar man and a 59-year-old Czech woman have been arrested on suspicion of carrying out a series of thefts from cars parked at rest areas on the Westautobahn A1 while their owners were sleeping inside, Lower Austria state police announced on Tuesday.
Chase and wrong-way driving
Investigations began in late September, and police identified a car with Serbian licence plates as being used in the thefts. After another theft on the night of 22 October at the Schallaburg rest area in the Melk district, officers spotted a suspicious car at the Völlerndorf rest area in Gerersdorf in the St. Pölten district.
The two suspects fled on the A1 towards Vienna, then left the motorway at the St. Pölten Süd exit and re-entered it against the flow of traffic to continue their escape. The car was spotted again on the S33, now fitted with its original Czech plates, until the two were stopped at Herzogenburg-Süd.
15 offences and damage of around 12,000 euros
In a green strip near the S33 on-ramp, police found the removed Serbian plates and part of the stolen goods. The duo is suspected of being responsible for 15 offences causing damage of around 12,000 euros. The man confessed to the charges and was taken to St. Pölten prison, while the woman did not confess and was taken to Krems an der Donau prison. The suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court.
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Photo: Herzi Pinki / Wikimedia Commons – CC BY-SA 3.0
Sources
- noe.ORF.at – Autos auf Rastplätzen aufgebrochen: Duo in Haft – 03.11.2026 – noe.orf.at
