A family of pensioners from the village of Lozno in Kyustendil became victims of a robbery after converting 50,000 leva (approximately €25,500) into euros at a local bank. Rather than leaving the money in the account, the elderly couple carried it in a bag while returning to their village.

Instead of heading straight home, they stopped at a shopping mall along the way. On “20 April” Street in Kyustendil, an unknown man approached and forcibly snatched the white shopping bag containing their savings from the woman’s hands. Fortunately, the pensioners were not physically harmed during the attack.

The Kyustendil Regional Directorate of Internal Affairs received a report of the robbery late Wednesday afternoon, around 5:30 p.m. Police investigations revealed that the family had been followed from the bank to the store and along the route back to Lozno. Authorities detained one of the suspects, a 46-year-old repeat offender with a long criminal record, who carried out the attack together with his brother.

While investigators seized multiple pieces of evidence, the stolen cash has not been recovered. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated by the Kyustendil Regional Directorate, and the prosecutor’s office has been notified.

Police officials reminded citizens, particularly the elderly, not to carry large sums of cash and to keep their money in banks, which provide protection against theft and fraud. “If your money is kept in a bank, you have a guarantee that you will not become a victim of fraud or theft,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs advised.