Patras: Woman Chases Injured Underage Suspects
In Patras, a woman suffered serious injuries while chasing a thief who stole her bag near a cemetery, highlighting ongoing safety concerns as she recounts multiple past robbery attempts.
Andriana Fotakopoulou spoke to ERT about what happened on Sunday afternoon. She was returning from the cemetery where she had visited her parents and took the road from Neo Souli. At 8:15 p.m., she stopped to take pictures of the sunset. She moved only a few meters from the car when she heard the sound of breaking glass.
Turning around, she saw a young man breaking the window with a stone and grabbing her bag. Without a second thought, she began chasing him. When she thought she was getting close enough, she fell into a ditch. The perpetrator continued running while two children who were there threw stones at her.
She managed to get out of the ditch on her own, got into her car, and made an illegal U-turn. She reached the entrance of the settlement, where she saw the perpetrator throw the bag away. A crowd appeared in front of her, so she stopped and immediately called the police. Officers arrived quickly and the National Emergency Aid Center (EKAB) transported her to the hospital.
“I hurt all over, I have fractures and a chest contusion,” Ms. Fotakopoulou described. She said it was not the first time. Since 2010, she has been the victim of three other similar attempted thefts using distraction techniques. She has been forced to change her personal documents three times and could not bear to go through the process again.
Eventually, her bag was recovered by relatives. The case remains in the hands of the authorities.
