Schoolgirl kidnap case reopened by Austrian police

AN investigation into the kidnapping of schoolgirl Natascha Kampusch has been reopened in Austria to determine whether more people were involved.

Kampusch was abducted aged 10 as she walked to school in 1998 and was held in a cell beneath a house garage until her dash to freedom in August 2006. Her captor, Wolfgang Priklopil, 44, committed suicide hours after her escape.

Independent investigators concluded in June that police failed to pursue leads that could have snared her abductor quickly.

A schoolgirl reported seeing two men in a white-panel truck into which she saw Kampusch forcibly bundled the day she vanished.

Kampusch, now 20, yesterday welcomed the reactivated inquiry: “I think it’s good that the authorities have decided to shed more light on the case.

“We can’t allow possible further culprits, of whom I have no knowledge, to escape punishment.

“The resumption of the investigation should also be used to clarify the reasons for the failure of the previous investigators.”

Kampusch hosted her debut TV programme in June on national television. She said she also wants to work on charity projects.