Robbers leave blindfolded man in burning car
A man robbed in Steenwijk on Sunday morning was left blindfolded in his car when the robbers set it on fire. He got himself out of the car just in time, the police confirmed to RTV Oost.
The 38-year-old man from Steenwijk was driving on Meppelerweg around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday morning when he was forced off the road by a black car. Two masked men dressed in black got into the victim's car and forced him to drive to nearby Spoorbaanweg. There the two men robbed the victim and thoroughly searched the car, before setting it on fire - with the blindfolded victim still in it.
"The man was lucky that he could get out of the car in time", a police spokesperson said to the broadcaster. "Otherwise it would've probably ended very badly for him."
The police are investigating whether the robbers knew the victim and specifically waited for him. Their motive is still unclear. The police call it striking that the perpetrators searched the car so thoroughly.
Investigators believe that a third perpetrator may have been involved in this robbery, attempted manslaughter and arson. The third suspect drove the black car, the police think.