Bank robbery in Ferlach: DNA on threatening letter – dog blamed for evidence contamination
A man in his late 40s from Carinthia is being held in custody over a robbery at a Ferlach bank. His explanation for incriminating DNA: a dog vomited on the paper.
Three attempts, 225,000 euros in loot – and a dog as alibi witness
As reported by Kleine Zeitung, the case surrounding the bank robbery in Ferlach in March 2026 is becoming increasingly bizarre. The defendant – a Carinthian man in his late 40s, currently in custody awaiting trial – came under scrutiny from authorities twice according to investigators: once in 2000 in Keutschach and once in 2020 in Krumpendorf, each in connection with bank robberies. In both cases, however, suspicions did not go beyond circumstantial evidence; proof was lacking.
The Klagenfurt public prosecutor's office has now completed the indictment. It accuses the man of the crime of aggravated robbery. The prosecution cites as motive expensive visits to gambling establishments, high betting stakes and insufficient means for living expenses – the defendant was most recently unemployed. The man himself rejects the accusations: he had nothing to do with the robbery, was financially secure through his family and debt-free. The presumption of innocence applies to him. The Klagenfurt Regional Court must clarify the question of guilt in a trial.
Three attempts at the robbery
According to the indictment, the perpetrator – whoever it was – needed three attempts to rob the bank. In mid-January 2026, a man disguised with sunglasses, a wig and a rubber mask entered the financial institution but withdrew when a customer emerged from an office. On 16 March came a second attempt: once again a masked man appeared, this time with a deceptively realistic full-face mask, but had to turn back because the cashier responsible was not at the counter.
About a quarter of an hour later, the third attempt succeeded. The robber drew a revolver, presented a threatening letter and demanded cash. "Fill it up," he reportedly told the employee as she opened the safe. Another member of staff was forced at gunpoint to lie on the ground. The perpetrator fled with 225,000 euros in cash in a bag he had brought with him.
Fingerprints and DNA on the threatening letter
The most serious evidence against the defendant is fingerprints and DNA traces found on the threatening letter used in the crime. The man provided an unusual explanation for this during questioning: he had had copy paper in his car. However, a dog that was in the vehicle had vomited on this paper. He subsequently disposed of the soiled sheets in Ferlach at a bench. The actual perpetrator must later have coincidentally used one of these sheets for his threatening letter.
In addition, the defendant is incriminated by the fact that he is seen in photos wearing a wig that reportedly resembles that of the robber. Chat logs also suggest that he ordered and received a full-face mask in the previous year – though one with a beard, while the perpetrator's mask was beardless.
Discarded notes found near the bank
One detail lends at least a tangible basis to the defendant's line of defence: when police officers examined the area around the bank weeks after the crime, they actually came across a pile of discarded paper sheets – wedged between a bench and the adjacent wall. Whether this discovery exonerates the defendant or whether a false trail was deliberately laid here remains unclear according to the current state of the investigation.
Source: Kleine Zeitung