The house in Nitra where the robbery occurred. (source: Foto: TV Markíza)
Four masked assailants stormed into a family home in Nitra early Thursday morning, tying up the homeowners and demanding money, the tvnoviny.sk website reported.
The victims were a Vietnamese family. According to the report, the assailants entered the house at around 03:00 from the rear, using a ladder that they brought with them. They broke a first-floor window to gain access.
The house is occupied by an elderly couple and their 27-year-old son. The family runs several Asian restaurants in Nitra.
“They’ve been here for over 20 years. As neighbours, we get along well,” said locals.
One of the three hostages managed to free himself and called the 112 emergency line. Upon noticing this, the intruders began kicking and beating him.
“Over €100,000 was stolen; the investigation is still ongoing. The victims are Vietnamese businesspeople. One of the assaulted individuals has been signed off work for at least 42 days,” stated national police chief Ľubomír Solák.
Emergency services and injuries
“The emergency operations centre dispatched one rapid response ambulance and later a rapid medical assistance vehicle to Nitra in the early hours. Paramedics treated and transported a 27-year-old man with a head injury and a 60-year-old woman with hip and leg injuries to Nitra hospital,” explained spokesperson Richard Bolješik.
According to Nitra hospital spokeswoman Tatiana Kubinec, the man sustained multiple facial injuries and remains hospitalised.
Police search for the perpetrators
TV Markíza reporter Monika Koleková was at the crime scene. She reported that the police have so far released little information.
"At this moment, we genuinely have no further detailed information about the perpetrators. The police are exercising great caution and are reluctant to release additional details to avoid compromising the investigation," Koleková said.
"As for the investigation itself, we have been here since the early hours, with police investigators and forensic technicians spending hours gathering evidence directly at the scene, inside the family home," she continued.
The reporter spoke with several neighbours who described the victims as peaceful and law-abiding individuals whom they had known for many years.
