Wooden pizza chef theft flops

Three Austrians could be prosecuted for theft in Germany after nicking a life-size figure at a pizzeria.

The trio were part of a 30-member group of friends spending Wednesday’s Austrian National Holiday in neighbouring Bavaria. Online newspaper OVB quotes from a Berchtesgaden police report: “The trio had the grand idea to kidnap the wooden figure.”

The manager of the eatery called the local police after having witnessed the clumsy drunkards’ bid to snatch the 150-centimetre tall figure of a pizza chef. Officers tracked down their coach which was already back in Upper Austria when they reached the driver on his mobile, according to reports from today (Fri). The boozed-up pranksters may be in court for theft later this year.

Meanwhile, police in the eastern Austrian province of Burgenland said they arrested five would-be metal thieves. The Hungarian gang attempted to pilfer the material from an industrial estate in Kemeten on Wednesday. Officials in the district of Oberwart said they were caught after a short chase. Another suspect is still on the run, according to a radio news report from this morning.

Traffic police arrested two Serbs on the A4 eastern motorway near Nickelsdorf in northern Burgenland on Tuesday after discovering goods reported as stolen in Switzerland in their minivan. The confiscated construction equipment and machinery was worth over 11,000 Euros, according to a police statement from Wednesday.

Law enforcement authorities in Längenfeld, Tyrol, said unidentified criminals removed the bonnet, headlights and other parts from a parked Volkswagen (VW) Golf car at the weekend. The damage the felons caused ranges around 700 Euros, a spokesman said, adding that investigations were continuing.

Winter tyres worth around 35,000 Euros were stolen from a company in Fürnitz, Carinthia, at some point last weekend. Local police said chances that someone witnessed the incident were low since no houses were in the business estate’s vicinity.

Innsbruck police nabbed a suspected serial thief. The 21-year-old from Slovakia could be behind 23 car break-ins which have occurred in the region since last year. He is accused of having caused 25,000 Euros in damages, officials said last Friday.