Three tractors stolen from one Austrian farm as thieves remove GPS trackers
Three tractors and power tools were stolen in one night from a farm in Oftering, Upper Austria, with losses estimated at no less than €200,000. The thieves first removed the GPS trackers and carted the machines away on trailers.
Three tractors and several power tools were stolen from a farm in Oftering, in the Linz-Land district of Upper Austria, during the night leading into 4 November. The losses are estimated at a minimum of €200,000. Police are searching for the stolen machinery and are asking residents for any helpful information.
According to police, the theft was brazen but carefully planned and prepared, and was carried out by professionals. The incident was reported by Agrarheute, ooe.ORF.at and Kronen Zeitung.
What was taken
The stolen vehicles were two New Holland tractors (models TN70SA and T4050F) and one Fendt 209 Vario ONE, which has distinctive narrow tyres and a 135 cm wheel track. Several power tools also disappeared from the workshop.
How the thieves operated
Investigators' findings so far indicate a group of at least four perpetrators. Before taking the tractors, they removed the GPS transmitters so the machines could not be traced afterwards. The farm's owners found the discarded electronic parts in the yard from which the tractors vanished.
The thieves did not simply drive the tractors away but loaded them onto trailers positioned in advance. Investigators say the trucks were waiting near the farm beside a farm track. The thieves drove the tractors across the fields to the road, where the trail ends.
Police are continuing to look for the stolen vehicles and have asked residents for any information that could help catch those responsible and recover the machines.
