Cat and Mouse: Civil Guard Captures Two Thieves After Ransacking 35 Homes in Alicante and Murcia

Two thieves, specialising in home burglaries, played cat and mouse with the authorities. During two police checkpoints aimed at capturing them, they fled, severely endangering the safety of officers and traffic. The Civil Guard, after a thorough investigation, apprehended them in Alicante, and the judge has sent them to prison.

The arrested individuals, aged 36 and 37, are charged with home burglary and reckless driving. According to the investigation, they stole approximately 200,000 euros in cash, jewellery, electronic devices, and other high-value items from the 35 ransacked homes in the Alicante towns of Orihuela Costa, Rojales, Sant Joan, and Xàbia; and in Los Alcázares, Murcia.

The investigation began after a spike in home burglaries was detected in the Orihuela Costa area. The Civil Guard in Pilar de la Horadada found that the crimes were committed under the same 'modus operandi', leading officers to suspect the same perpetrators. Investigators embarked on a challenging task of gathering and analysing a vast amount of information from all accessible sources.

The burglaries occurred along the Alicante province coastline and surrounding areas, always in the afternoon and early evening, targeting occupied homes when residents were away. They typically chose homes in gated communities, accessing them by jumping the perimeter fence or, occasionally, using a key, according to the same sources.

Once inside the residential area, they entered homes by forcing doors or windows, or climbing to an open window on the upper floor. Inside, they rummaged through belongings to find cash, jewellery, electronic devices, and any other small, high-value items such as perfumes or watches. In most burglaries, they took possessions valued at several thousand euros, with the largest amounts coming from cash or jewellery.

To commit the burglaries, they travelled along the coast from Alicante city, sometimes heading north and other times south, robbing several homes in a single day, even in different towns or outside the province. Likely to avoid detection, they frequently changed the vehicles used for the burglaries.

As the investigation progressed, the Civil Guard gathered enough evidence to focus suspicions on two individuals. Consequently, they intensified surveillance and checkpoints near the areas targeted by these thefts. On two occasions, the Civil Guard in Pilar de la Horadada and the Local Police in Orihuela Costa unsuccessfully attempted to stop the vehicle carrying these individuals, who, upon noticing the police presence, quickly fled, even if it meant endangering the intervening officers or road safety. Once investigators located them, they were arrested in Alicante on May 13.

The investigation was conducted by the Investigation Area of the Civil Guard Post in Pilar de la Horadada, with support from the Civil Guard Post in Sant Joan and collaboration from the Local Police in Orihuela Costa. In this operation, officers gathered a substantial amount of information, enabling them to solve 35 burglaries. Following the imprisonment of both individuals, local residents have regained their peace of mind.