Selfie brings burglars in Simmering behind grille - mobile phone away!

Selfie brings burglars in Simmering behind grille - mobile phone away!

A surprising case has taken place in Vienna, which shows how technology and crime are often unexpectedly linked. On June 6, a 40-year-old Slovak citizen came through an open window to an office in Simmering and steel a mobile phone. But instead of an inconspicuous theft, the perpetrator was finally convicted by a selfie that he made with the stolen cell phone. This sensational story begins when the picture, which was automatically uploaded to the cloud, was discovered by the rightful owner. The latter recognized the man and shared his discovery with his brother-in-law, as today.

The lawful owner was lucky in misfortune. He showed the photo to his brother -in -law and it shouldn't take long for him to see the suspect accidentally in a supermarket. The brother -in -law alerted the police call. The officers of the Kaiser-Ebersdorfer-Straße police inspection reacted quickly and were able to arrest the 40-year-old man. When searching the suspect, the police also found five ATM cards, which may also be stolen. The stolen smartphone, on the other hand, is still missing, while the investigation into the origin of the ATM cards is running.

the legal consequences

What happened to the suspect after the arrest? The man did not confess when he was interrogated and was temporarily reported to the Vienna public prosecutor's office. Such decisions are by no means unusual and make it clear that the investigation in the event of theft is often more complex than expected. With an increase in theft offenses in recent years, the police are facing major challenges. In 2022 alone, around 1.78 million thefts were recorded in Germany - an increase compared to previous years, as Statista suggests.

In addition, the information rate for burglary theft is just 16.1%. This means that the clarification of such cases is often not easy. The police are therefore required to thoroughly examine the background of these incidents.

an example of modern crime?

The case of the Slovak citizen is therefore a classic example of how crime is shown in today's world. Modern technology, such as the cloud system, which automatically raises the selfie, can be used both as a tool for the perpetrator and for the investigation of crimes. While theft is still a major social problem, the development of effective information methods remains one of the greatest challenges for the law enforcement authorities.

In the case of Simmering, it remains to be seen how the situation around ATM cards will develop and whether the stolen smartphone is still found. This story shows once again that crime and technology are closely connected - sometimes in an unexpected way.