Investigators from the Guardia Civil have recovered more than 70 objects stolen from homes in the Lo Pagán and San Pedro areas of Murcia.
Three members of the same family have been arrested as suspects of offences in which homes around the popular seaside areas of the region were targeted.
The investigation, which was given the operational name of “PATRONUS” looked into at least a dozen robberies in residential homes at Lo Pagán and San Pedro del Pinatar.
The suspects were found in a home they were occupying illegally, along with more than 70 objects which have now been recovered, among which are furniture, household goods, household appliances, tools and even documentation belonging to the victims. Also, in the vehicle of one of those arrested, officers found numerous tools believed to have been used to commit the burglaries.
The investigation began last February, when officers who specialise in crime prevention learned of the theft committed in an address at Lo Pagán. A few weeks later, other neighbours in the area reported similar incidents, which generated some social alarm. The coincidence in the location of the houses, all of them in the same street, brought the investigators to a nearby apartment which had been illegally occupied around the time when te first offences were reported.
The investigators found out that three people lived in the house, a woman and her two children. While the woman lacked a police record, the two males had a broad and extensive criminal record, with one of them, the main suspect, already being sought by the courts.
The investigation revealed that they group had sold abundant metallic materials (aluminium rails, grilles, air conditioner motors, etc.), to solid waste management centres, which raised suspicions.
During the raid on the house, one of the inhabitants tried to flee the property, but was caught by officers who were already waiting on the balcony. Two people were arrested, a man of 36 years of age, and a woman of 67, mother and son, both of Spanish nationality, as alleged perpetrators of continued crime of robbery with force.
The officers continued to search for the third suspect, locating him who, prior to the police deployment, had moved to the home of a relative in the town of San Javier. The officers located the house and asked the suspect to surrender while he remained crouched inside, protected by a pit bull dog. The Guardia Civil officers maintained a cordon and ordered the suspect to leave the building, which occurred after more than an hour of negotiation.
The third person was arrested, man of Spanish nationality, 24 years old, as suspected member of a criminal group. This arrested person has a considerable criminal record, having been involved and caught committing crimes of a similar nature to those under investigation.
The group were brought before the courts in San Javier, whilst arrangements were made to return the property to the rightful owners.
