A 29-year-old inmate, believed to be the leader of a notorious gang, has escaped from Wiener Neustadt prison, police confirmed on Monday.
The Dutch national is reportedly the head of the “Rammbock” gang, which has been linked to a series of jewel thefts at locations such as Shopping City Süd (SCS) in Vösendorf, Donauzentrum in Vienna and Wiener Neustadt. A manhunt is now underway, police spokesperson Stefan Loidl confirmed.
Authorities were alerted to the escape just before 8:00 am. A search operation, involving 13 patrol cars and sniffer dogs, was launched but proved unsuccessful, Loidl said. “The circumstances of how the inmate managed to escape are still under investigation,” he added.
The “Rammbock” gang is also associated with a string of burglaries and a cash machine explosion in Markgrafneusiedl in Lower Austria in 2023. The group is believed to have international connections. Last October, three Dutch members of the gang were sentenced to non-final prison terms ranging from 20 months to nine years. A Bulgarian, thought to have played a secondary role, was handed a 30-month sentence, with 20 months suspended.
