Robbers tortured a 72-year-old man with a hot iron and extinguished cigarettes on his body during a brutal home break-in on Saturday, leaving him in serious condition and sending shockwaves through this quiet town west of Athens.
The man was discovered by his wife late Saturday afternoon, bound, unconscious, and covered in blood inside their ransacked apartment.
The assailants fled with the couple’s life savings of approximately €5,000.
“I froze. I was shaking, I nearly fainted,” the victim’s wife told Greek media, her voice trembling. “He was unconscious, with a swollen face and stab wounds on his neck. The drawers were open, everything turned upside down.”
The attackers reportedly broke in through a balcony door in the middle of the day.
According to the victim’s family, the man was subjected to horrific torture as the robbers tried to force him to reveal where the couple kept their money.
“They burned him with an iron. They put out cigarettes on his hands and feet. They tortured him severely,” the man’s sister told reporters.
His wife, who found him, questioned the motive for such brutality. “They could have just taken the money and left,” she said. “He was such a peaceful and kind man. He didn’t deserve this.”
The victim was rushed by ambulance to the General State Hospital of Nikaia, where he remains hospitalized in serious condition.
The Hellenic Police have launched a manhunt for the assailants, with the investigation being handled by the Megara Security Sub-Directorate.
Authorities have not yet made any arrests and are investigating whether the attackers had inside knowledge of the couple’s savings.
The savage nature of the crime has sparked widespread outrage and renewed a national conversation about the safety of the elderly, who are increasingly targeted in violent home invasions across Greece.