Thieves charged after pooping at crime scene

Three piles of human excrement left at a crime scene in central Sweden served as key evidence in the case against two men charged for tying up and robbing a strawberry farmer earlier this year.

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Last February, strawberry grower Elof Dahlén was attacked by two masked men who barged into his home near Vara in central Sweden.

“They taped my arms behind my back. They taped my legs and my entire head so I couldn't see or hear anything,” Dahlén told the local Sveriges Radio (SR) in Skaraborg.

But before carrying out the theft, the two robbers, along with an accomplice, had all defecated on the ground near their getaway vehicle, not far from Dahlén's home.

After rummaging through Dahlén's home for several hours the robbers made off with 10,000 kronor ($1,500) in cash and tools valued at 48,000 kronor.

They also stole Dahlén's car to hasten their escape, driving it to the site where their accomplice was waiting with the getaway truck.

The thieves then set the car on fire and fled the scene, leaving the flaming car parked near the droppings they had deposited prior to the daring robbery.

When police eventually arrived, they freed the still-bound strawberry farmer and quickly located his burning car.

Shortly thereafter, crime scene investigators stumbled across the three piles of poo from which they were able to secure DNA evidence which eventually led them to the perpetrators, the local Nya Lidköpings-Tidningen reported.

On Tuesday, the two robbers, aged 26 and 36, were charged for the theft in Skaraborg District Court after admitting to the crime during an interrogation by police, following their arrest in July.

One of the men is also facing charges for additional thefts of diesel fuel and power saws in the the communities of Varberg, Gislaved, and Mark in western Sweden.

Dahlén was relieved that the men are set to stand trial, and praised police for carrying out a thorough investigation.

“The police have done a fantastic job solving this crime,” he told the newspaper.