Thieves in Switzerland have successfully conquered one of the country's most challenging protected climbing routes in order to carry out a robbery. Their target was a collection box placed at an altitude of 2,350 meters on the Gemmi pass above the village of Leukerbad. This box belonged to a local climbing club that maintains Switzerland's longest protected climbing route, BBC reports.
The shocking aspect of this incident is that the donation box is accessible only to highly experienced climbers due to the difficulty of the route. The via ferrata, classified as level 5, is renowned for its complexity, involving intense climbing, ascending ladders affixed to vertical rock surfaces, and navigating narrow steel cables across gorges.
Expressing their astonishment, the climbing club posted on Facebook, "What kind of people are these? The climbing club looks after the via ferrata for no salary, we don't ask for anything, and now someone has stolen the money donated to maintain it."
It's evident that the thieves meticulously planned the robbery in advance. They were not just skilled climbers, well-equipped with mountaineering gear, but they also carried the necessary tools to forcefully break open the donation box. After smashing it open and emptying its contents, they continued their ascent, remarkably reaching the summit of the Dauberhorn at 2,941 meters.
Determining the culprits may prove difficult as the last few days provided ideal climbing conditions, attracting numerous mountaineers to the area. The exact sum stolen remains uncertain, but it is estimated to be at least 400-500 Swiss francs (€420-520; $450-560), according to Richard Werlen, a member of the climbing club and a mountain guide.
Switzerland, where cash transactions are still prevalent, has a tradition of voluntary work for maintaining hiking paths and climbing routes. Donations for such efforts are expected and willingly given by a significant portion of the population. However, this incident raises questions about the security of such donation systems.
This isn't the first instance of robberies involving cash in Switzerland. Even more fortified ATM machines have been targeted, resulting in millions of francs being stolen in recent years. Swiss Federal Police have warned about the attractiveness of these machines to thieves from various parts of Europe.
While hoping for the culprits to experience a "guilty conscience" and return the stolen money, the climbing club received some solace when a local benefactor contributed 500 francs to replace the stolen donations.
Follow Daryo's official Instagram and Twitter pages to keep up to date on world news.
Comments (0)