Police have suspended an investigation after two women allegedly tried to rob a blind man with a guide dog in a Budapest shopping centre, assaulting him when he resisted. The suspects have not been identified.

Two women attacked a blind man

The incident happened during the summer and was reported by RTL Híradó on Thursday, 12 November. The Baráthegyi Guide Dog School Foundation has now shared video footage of the attack to highlight the vulnerability of people with disabilities.

The victim, Dániel Klabacsek, is a young man with multiple disabilities, including visual impairment, autism and a mobility disability. He was accompanied by his guide dog, Vidra (meaning “otter”), when he encountered the two women at a busy shopping centre in Budapest.

According to his account, the women offered to help him find his way to the metro. He accepted, but instead of taking him there, they led him to the rooftop of the building. He later asked them to help give his dog some water.

One of the women sat him down on a bench and started talking to him before unclipping his waist bag. When he noticed, she reportedly claimed she only wanted to check how much money was inside, then returned it.

Klabacsek subsequently asked the women to escort him back into the building. The situation escalated in the lift, where one of them tried to take his bag again. When he resisted, the women allegedly forced him down and repeatedly banged his head against the lift wall.

According to the victim, one of the women also shouted: “Don’t resist us, you dog!”

Klabacsek said he was deeply affected by the experience and struggling to process what had happened. At one point, he shouted for help inside the shopping centre, but nobody came to his assistance.

Investigation suspended

Klabacsek eventually filed a police report on the advice of his guide dog trainers. The foundation said it released the footage to draw attention to the vulnerability of people with disabilities and the importance of protecting them.

Police told RTL that the investigation into suspected robbery was suspended in mid-October because officers had been unable to establish the identities of the alleged perpetrators. 24.hu also reported that the investigation had been suspended, giving late October as the date.

The two women have therefore not been identified, and no suspects have been brought to justice in connection with the incident.