The incident took place on a street which has witnessed a similar event with a much more tragic outcome.
On Friday evening, an armed robber tried to rob a branch office of the Croatian Post at Dragutin Golik Street in the Voltino neighbourhood in Zagreb. He threatened two female employees, aged 40 and 46, with a gun and demanded money. Fearing for their lives, they gave him several tens of thousands of kunas, reports 24sata.hr on December 17, 2017.
The robber tried to flee with the money but was pursued by a 23-year-old man who happened to be in the vicinity of the post office at the time of the robbery. Without thinking much about the danger, he managed to catch with the thief, overpowered him and kept him under his control until the police arrived at the scene.
The police later confirmed that the post office was robbed by a 30-year-old man, who was taken into custody.
The brave citizen suffered minor injuries while wrestling with the robber and was provided with medical assistance at the Sestre Milosrdnice Clinical Hospital Centre.
Due to the ongoing criminal investigation, the Zagreb police could not provide any further information about the robbery or the brave citizen but thanked him for his help. The police conducted a crime scene investigation at the branch office and also took videos from surveillance cameras from inside and outside of the post office. The police also advised citizens not to risk their lives in similar situations, but to leave everything in the hands of the authorities.
People living in the Voltino neighbourhood say that this particular post office has often been a target for thieves. It was robbed last time on 31 October, when a robber came shortly before closing and escaped with the money. He was never found.
“After a robbery, they bring in security guards for a couple of months, but then they leave, and everything starts all over. I guess it is the location which makes it so attractive to robbers,” said a local hairdresser.
Interestingly, the street carries the name of Dragutin Golik, another local hero who in 2005 tried to singlehandedly stop a robbery of a nearby branch office of Zagrebačka Banka. He was severely wounded at the time and died from his wounds two years later.
“There are few such heroes as Golik. Today, not many people are ready to risk their lives,” say people in a local cafe.
Translated from 24sata.hr.
