Enlarge imagePhoto: Eva Manhart / dpa
After 18 p.m., nothing goes over the counter in the »Trafik« (as a small shop is called in Austria) in Mariatroster Straße in Graz. It doesn't matter if the customer is armed or not. This was made clear by employees of the store on Wednesday evening, when a man threatened them with a pistol shortly before closing time and asked them to put money in a bag.
The surveillance video shows the robber pretending to want to redeem a betting slip at 17:59 p.m., then placing a bag on the counter and pulling out the pistol. "I want the money," he said. "Where's the matter?" replies the clerk. "The gonze money," repeats the robber. "Yes, exactly," says the employee. She then turns to her superior. "Boss?" – "Jo?" – "Des is a Überfoll," she informed him, visibly unimpressed.
While the two tobacconist employees continue to discuss with the attacker, the clock strikes 6 and thus the end of the day. Unfortunately, the surrender of the money is now no longer possible. "At 6e is the cash register closed, it's a sou," says the saleswoman. Her colleague concludes by advising the robber to come earlier next time.
The man then leaves the store without prey. Whether he takes the tip to heart remains to be seen. He is still on the run, the police are still looking for the perpetrator. The two store employees are unharmed. Robbery investigators from the Styrian State Office of Criminal Investigation (LKA) have taken over the investigation and suspect that he could be behind other robberies.
czl