ARCHIVED - Arrests in Almoradi after spate of break ins at rural homes and farms
The suspects took advantage of visits to relatives in Almoradi and Rojales in the Vega Baja, Alicante province, to break into surrounding properties
Two men have been arrested in Almoradi in connection with a number of burglaries at rural homes and farms in the Vega Baja.
According to police, the pair from Alicante allegedly carried out the spate of break ins while visiting relatives in the area.
The first report of theft from a farm was made in April, in which a trailer was stolen. Police received several more complaints of homes and farms being targeted and began to link the incidents, identifying a number of potential suspects.
The 'leader' of an alleged criminal gang is believed to have selected target properties, preferably near roads and remote tracks which were then broken into as the detainees returned to Alicante having visited family in Almoradi and Rojales.
Anything that "could be easily transported" such as tools and farm implements, was stolen during the raids and immediately sold on, often at "nearby junkyards".
A turning point in the investigation happened on the day four homes in Rojales were broken into at the end of July, when a neighbour spotted four men in a van "fleeing the scene" at speed, before crashing into a ditch.
The driver and passengers fled before police arrived, and officers discovered 100 galvanised pipes, an iron fence, a pram, tool boxes, a shear, rifles for shooting animals and a rooster inside the vehicle.
Fortunately, the witness was able to give police a good description of the four men. Two were arrested last week, and have been released charged with robbery with force and criminal damage, while the other two are being investigated.
Properties were broken into in Almoradi, Rojales and Formentera del Segura, and police in Torrevieja, Alicante and Novelda are looking into the possibility the gang could be responsible for other burglaries.
IMAGE: Guardia Civil