Police have apprehended a man who allegedly broke into an elderly man's Murchison home and tied him up before driving away in the victim's car with the victim.
It is alleged a 29-year-old man entered the 76-year-old man's Murchison property about 1 pm on Wednesday and had a knife while he held the victim there for about two hours, before forcing the victim to enter his own vehicle before the accused drove it away from the premises.
Police allege the accused stopped the vehicle in traffic leaving Murchison, at which point the victim escaped the car and sought refuge in a nearby property. Police located the stolen vehicle in Kyabram a short time later, with the 29-year-old apprehended about 4 pm.
Shepparton Criminal Investigation Unit Detective Senior Constable Simon Bingham shed further light on the elderly man's ordeal, stating the accused who held the 76-year-old in his property for about two hours did not know the victim.
“During this time the accused has made multiple demands for the victim's vehicle, and during this time there have been a number of physical altercations where the victim has tried to get away,” he said.
“During this time the accused has tied the victim up with his hands tied to the front and forced him into his vehicle, where he's attempted to drive away.
“The victim has managed to free himself from the vehicle and seek refuge to a neighbouring property.”
Det Sen Constable Bingham said the man under arrest was assisting police with inquiries and was yet to be formally charged, although he expected that would occur in the foreseeable future.
He said the horrific incident was being treated as "opportunistic" and an isolated incident.
“Whilst it is quite concerning, we want to reassure the Murchison community and more broadly the Greater Shepparton community we believe it's an isolated incident,” he said.
“We've been able to work quickly to apprehend the offender and he's in police custody.
“It's quite a serious incident and extremely concerning for the victim; thankfully, he only sustained minor injuries as a result.”
Det Sen Constable Bingham appealed for any potential witnesses, and particularly anyone with footage of the vehicle — a silver dual-cab ute — travelling from Murchison to Kyabram to contact police.
“Police would be asking the assistance of anyone in the Murchison area that may have seen or heard anything between the hours of 1 pm and 3 pm,” he said.
“We'd also be asking for any assistance from members of the community that saw a silver dual-cab four-wheel drive utility from 3 pm, any dashcam footage or similar. We believe that vehicle has travelled from Murchison to the Kyabram area.”
The Shepparton police can be reached on (03) 5820 5777.
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