Window drilling – Three burglaries in Mils

 Three houses were broken into in Mils, Austria on Wednesday night by a burglar using a silent drilling technique. The specialist managed to break into each house whilst the residents slept stealing cash and iPods.

The small village of Mils was victim to a spate of burglaries where the method resembled that of a thief four years ago in Tyrol. The three houses were located closely together with two of the houses neighbouring each other making it a quick process for the criminal.

Each crime scene revealed a small hole drilled in a window. Through this the burglar would feed a wire with which he could lever the handle and gain access to the property.

In 2007 a man was arrested for around 40 break-ins. In order to gain access to the houses, the majority of which were in Sistrans in Austria, he worked with a hand drill. The tool was not electric but needed only man power. As such the thief would not wake the residents. According to policeman Rudolf Rinner, the Bosnian is now in prison so is not connected to the recent crimes in Mils. The methods used by the new burglar are very similar those used in 2007.

Police in the area are asking residents to be vigilant and report signs of unusual activity.