16 February 2024, in Luxembourg City. The man was on his way to the car park in the evening after going out. It wasn’t far from the bistro to the car in the Knuedler car park, he said.
“I constantly had the feeling that I could feel someone behind me, but I didn’t really pay attention,” says the man who wishes to remain anonymous.
Then everything happened quickly. “I paid for my ticket and turned round. A young man grabbed my arm and then just walked away. It was only after a few seconds that I realised that the strap of my watch had been removed, that it had been stolen.”
The victim filed a complaint with the police the very next day, but has heard nothing more to date.
As the man explains in the interview, he assumes that he had been observed beforehand and was specifically targeted: “I was wearing a jacket, it was winter. So he probably saw me when I wasn’t wearing my jacket.”
When asked, the police press office wrote that, according to initial information, there was nothing to suggest that organised gangs were involved in the incident.
However, another situation involving a young woman, that our RTL colleagues spoke to, shows that this is not an isolated incident. The same thing happened to her. She, too, wants to remain anonymous.
Just like in the other case, the theft wasn’t aggressive at all, but her wrist was briefly touched and then the luxury watch was gone.
Preventing such an attack is very difficult, says Marc Ragnacci, who is responsible for the police’s prevention service. He suggests that you should generally be accompanied when you are out in the evening, and best avoid dark corners.
Ragnacci confirms that such perpetrators choose their victims carefully. They watch them closely before they strike.
He therefore points to the police app, which has a “my safe” function that allows you to store valuables with photos and invoices. If you then report a theft, the police can access this data directly. Details about the app can be found here.
Overall, the police always advise to be alert when approached by strangers.
