Police arrest Czech trio accused of eight burglaries

Police have arrested two suspected serial burglars from Czechia and identified a suspected accomplice in connection with eight offences in Upper Austria, ORF reported. One of the men was wearing an electronic ankle monitor during the alleged burglaries.

The two men are currently being held at Linz Prison. In late July, they went to Reichenthal in the Urfahr-Umgebung district to collect a motocross motorcycle that had previously been stolen. A farmer saw the 27-year-old and his 34-year-old accomplice and alerted police.

The suspects initially fled by car before running into a maize field. They surrendered to police shortly afterwards. Investigators later identified a 25-year-old Czech woman as a suspected accomplice.

Police said the trio had allegedly travelled repeatedly to Upper Austria since May and targeted farms in the Urfahr-Umgebung and Freistadt districts. The stolen goods, including chainsaws, tools and motorcycles, were allegedly taken to Czechia and sold there.

During questioning, the suspects allegedly confessed to the offences and cited financial problems as their motive. Police attribute eight offences and total damage of about 12,000 euros to the group.

Investigators described the case as unusual because the alleged main offender was wearing an electronic ankle monitor issued by the Czech justice system. According to information from Czech authorities, the 27-year-old had to be at his home address at a specified time, but his movements were not monitored continuously.