A Serbian national working at Vienna’s main railway station (Wien Hauptbahnhof) is suspected of stealing a violin worth approximately €27,000 after it was accidentally left behind on a train.
According to police, a 59-year-old woman forgot the valuable instrument in the train’s luggage compartment last Friday.
When the 24-year-old employee of a cleaning company, originally from Serbia, was cleaning the carriage at the central station, he discovered the violin inside its case along with its accessories.
Instead of handing it over to the appropriate authorities, he allegedly kept the instrument and attempted to sell it.
Police said the man first visited a violin shop to inquire about the instrument’s value, reportedly claiming that he wanted to buy a similar violin for a family member.
He Recruited a Relative
He then enlisted the help of his 23-year-old cousin, promising him a share of the money from the sale.
The Owner Foiled the Plan
Meanwhile, the violin’s owner reported the instrument missing to police and also notified its maker. Ironically, it was to that very maker that the two men allegedly attempted to sell the stolen violin.
Employees at the shop immediately contacted police, who organized an arrest operation.
When the 23-year-old accomplice entered the shop carrying the violin, officers from Vienna’s Favoriten police unit were waiting for him, while the 24-year-old suspect was arrested outside the building.
During questioning, both men admitted to the offense.
On the orders of the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office, criminal charges were filed against them on suspicion of aggravated theft and attempted handling of stolen property, while they remain at liberty pending further proceedings.
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Historic Violin Theft in Vienna
This is not the first time that valuable violins have been the target of theft in the Austrian capital. In June 2007, Austrian police announced that they had recovered a violin worth nearly €2.5 million in the apartment of migrants from Georgia. The instrument had been stolen several months earlier from a safe in the apartment of Vienna musician Christian Altenburger.
The violin had been crafted in 1680 by the renowned Italian master Antonio Giacomo Stradivari.
In addition to the Stradivari violin, police also recovered a Vuillaume violin valued at €120,000 and three bows worth an estimated €12,000 during the search of the apartment, all of which belonged to Altenburger.
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Source: Nova.rs, Foto: EPA-EFE / FLORIAN WIESER