At midday on Tuesday (23 July), police officers were alerted to a burglary in progress in an apartment on Hochstraße in Herford. When the officers arrived, an injured 49-year-old resident of a detached house was already in an ambulance receiving medical treatment. The investigation at the scene revealed that the injured party had heard suspicious noises coming from the neighboring apartment at around 11:30 a.m., although the residents were not there. During the subsequent inspection of the apartment, he noticed that the front door was slightly open. When he opened the door, an unknown person hit him several times on the head, causing him to fall into the stairwell with injuries. The previously unknown person fled back into the apartment and through a window in an unknown direction.

When the police subsequently checked the apartment, they found cupboards and drawers that had been ransacked. The perpetrator took cash in a four-digit amount. The injured neighbor had to be taken to a hospital in Herford for further medical treatment.

The criminal investigation department has begun evaluating evidence and is looking for further witnesses who can provide information about the break-in and the fleeing perpetrator. Information can be obtained by calling 05221-8880.