Austrian police make 42 arrests in major burglary ring bust

The Austrian authorities have arrested 42 people as part of investigations against four organized burglary rings in the country, the Krone newspaper reported on Thursday.

The perpetrators, aged between 20 and 40, were said to have been behind at least 200 burglaries in Austria and Switzerland, responsible for losses of over 1.3 million euros (1.4 million U.S. dollars).

Authorities said the arrested suspects mostly followed the same pattern -- they would enter office buildings via roofs, break in doors, and use grinders to open safes. Their break-in method alone had resulted in enormous material damage.

The suspects would take cash as well as electronic devices.

Most of the suspects were said to be Moldavian nationals, with Bulgarians and Romanians also involved. The stolen goods were subsequently taken back to countries of origin.

The Romanian nationals have received their sentences, with prison terms ranging from 12 to 15 years. Endit