The National Police arrested the five members of a band of thieves who took advantage of the disaster DANA to loot a jewelry store affected by the flood in the municipality of Alfafar (Valencia). The criminals, some with similar backgrounds, took advantage of the security breaches caused by the storm to steal jewelry and watches worth 500.00 euros. The police arrested them thanks to citizen collaboration.
The investigation began when officers Flight group of the Provincial Brigade of Judicial Police of Valencia received a complaint filed by the owner of a jewelry store affected by the DANA. This woman had found the windows of her establishment broken, apparently with a sledgehammer, and she was missing products worth more than 500,000 eurosincluding luxury watches and high-value jewelry.
Thanks to citizen collaboration, agents were able to locate five people linked to these events, carrying out two entries and searches of the suspects’ homes. There they found, in addition to jewelry and watches, cell phones, video games and household appliances, the vast majority stolen by the gang who took advantage of the difficult period the traders were going through to commit the crimes.
The five detainees, some of whom backgroundwere brought to justice by the National Police, who have already made 98 arrests for looting after the passage of DANA.
From Madrid to fly
During another intervention, the National Police arrested a 57-year-old man who was traveling with a rental van from Madrid to rob a neighborhood car dealership Alcedo oven of Valencia, taking advantage of the catastrophic situation caused by DANA.
The events occurred yesterday, Wednesday afternoon, while citizen security agents were deployed in the industrial zone of this area, carrying out work aimed at preventing thefts. It was an employee who alerted the police and told them that a man was inside a dealership of a car brand taking effect several times, which is why the police came inside.
The agents met the forced access door, locate a male with a crowbar who opened the drawers of a table, was immediately arrested.
More than 200 detainees
After police investigation, it was found that the arrested person had rented a van in Madrid go to Valencia to commit violent robberies. Inside the vehicle, numerous items stolen from the dealership as well as cash were found. Also a TV, USB stick with dealer brand logo, drills, radials, batteries, heat guns, as well as other tools.
The number of looters and thieves arrested for thefts after DANA already exceeds 200, of which more than 30 have been placed in pre-trial detention by judicial decision, because these are robberies with force aggravated by the fact that they were committed taking advantage of a general catastrophe.
