Caution: Brutal robberies on young people - police are looking for perpetrators!

Caution: Brutal robberies on young people - police are looking for perpetrators!

In Vienna, the police employ a worrying case of robberies that have caused a sensation in the past few weeks. Three out of four suspects have already been arrested, but a suspect is still on the run. The police have published search photos and asks the public for help.

The brutal attacks occurred on April 20 and 21, 2025 when three perpetrators lured an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old with fake social media profiles to the districts of Leopoldstadt and Brigittenau. On site, the victims were exposed to a violent threat, in which they had to withdraw cash under temporal pressure. The perpetrators started punches and foot steps to enforce their demands, while they also filmed the attacks with their mobile phones.

injured victims and searches

The consequences for the two young men were serious: they sometimes suffered serious injuries and were taken to the hospital for treatment. The police have now caught three of the suspects, but the fourth man remains unknown. Information on the identity of the fleeting suspect can be reported anonymously at the police inspection or on 01 31310 67800, as well as vienna.at reported.

Already in the current advertising statistics of the police there is an alarming trend: The number of predatory offenses has increased from 1,180 to 1,394 cases, which corresponds to an increase of 18.1 %. These cases are part of a major problem that affects the psychiatric and social landscape of Vienna.

youth crime on the advance

A look at the overall statistics also shows that more than half of the perpetrators (57.1 %) come from abroad. The number of ads overall rose by 4.6 % to 194,981 in 2024. The increase in young people who commit criminal acts is particularly worrying. Last year 14,804 young people under the age of 18 were reported, which means an increase of 33 %. The youngest offender was only 10 years old, and the number of suspects in the age group from 10 to 14 years increased from 3,186 to 5,066

In order to counter the problem of youth crime, an interdisciplinary working group called "Child and Youth Crime" was created in Vienna. This is intended to intensify preventive work in particular and react to the increasing figures, as today.at. The developments show that there is an urgent need for action in Vienna to ensure the safety of citizens and to stop the violence spiral.