The National Police have broken up another group of house thieves from Alicante who travelled to other places in the province and the Region of Murcia to break into homes. They used silicone thread or glue to see if the houses were vacant. Three men and one woman from Georgia were arrested in Elche as a result of the inquiry. They were defended by lawyer Antonio Gascón Castillo.
The four people who were arrested are being held in temporary custody because they are suspected of being part of a criminal group and committing at least eleven burglaries in residences in the provinces of Alicante and Murcia.
The woman who was arrested was first accused of receiving stolen goods when police found stolen items in her home in Alicante. She was then sent to jail because the Austrian authorities had issued a European arrest warrant (EAW) for her, saying she had been involved in at least nine home burglaries in 2022, stealing more than 31,000 euros, including gold bars and coins, cash, and other valuables.
The National Police started their investigation in September after seeing two males hanging around inside a building in Elche, Spain, in the early hours of the morning on numerous nights in a row. They had just taken down another gang in Torrevieja that was similar to this one.
After doing a few investigative tasks, the agents found that the suspects might have been getting ready to break into homes.
The agents did some digging and found out that the suspects came to Spain in pairs, worked together for about two or three months, and then left, which made the investigation much harder.
During the morning shift, the thieves walked about the streets and took a lot of precautions to avoid being seen by the neighbours or any police patrols.
The way they did it was by putting thin threads of glue or silicone on the doors of houses in a certain way to see if the people inside were home. If the thread was still in place when they got back, it meant the house was empty, so they could loot it without worrying about getting caught.
Very specialised
The members employed advanced skill techniques including “lock picking,” “magic key,” “bumping,” or “impressioning,” which let them get into residences without leaving any visible indications of force on the locks.
The main goal of the robberies was to steal cash, jewellery, and expensive watches. These items were used to support their lives in Spain and to send money back to their home country through organisations that specialise in money transfers.
Police take people into custody
After finding out who all the members were, the officers planned an operation that ended with them finding all of them as they exited a building in Elche after breaking in. After that, a search warrant was carried out in Alicante, where many lock-picking tools, expensive watches, and jewellery were found.
The police apprehended the accused thieves because they were thought to be part of a criminal group and had been involved in 11 burglaries in Elche, Elda, Orihuela, and Cartagena. The courts ordered that they be put in jail right away after they were brought before them.
The inquiry is still going on since agents are still working on the jewellery that was found and have already given back 37 items to their rightful owners.
Author: Derek Appleton
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