The thieves chose their victims and used shopping center car parks as the ideal place to prepare the assault. The preferred target, families who had just arrived from Ukraine or countries near Eastern Europe who had arrived on the coast of Tarragona fleeing the war after the Russian invasion. The gang was watching parked cars looking mainly for Ukrainian license plates.
Having detected the target, the assailants followed the target car to his home and from that moment on organized a meticulous tracking device that included the use of drones. The thieves followed the family’s movements and studied their routines to choose the best day and time to gain access to the villa. The moment of the assault, always without the occupants inside to avoid problems.
The surveillance could last several weeks to find out the daily routines of the people who lived in each home. The drones were used to detect the most vulnerable accesses to the villas and also to check if there were dogs on the farms.
The investigators suspect that if the gang chose Ukrainian refugees who had recently arrived in Catalonia, it was because they were looking for valuables and large amounts of cash in their homes. Fleeing a country at war in most cases involves leaving with as many valuable belongings as possible for fear of not being able to return or of losing your home because of the war.
Two of the thieves have been arrested by the Mossos d’Esquadra in Roda de Berà (Tarragonès) after allegedly committing at least nine home robberies. The assaults were committed in coastal municipalities in the Baix Penedès area. The majority of victims were Ukrainians and from Eastern countries, as the Mossos explained yesterday.
The two detainees, arrested at their home in Roda de Berà on June 15, are 29 and 50 years old. Police do not rule out the possibility of more arrests. The gang would be made up of more people, who are essential to properly follow up on potential victims and coordinate the robberies.
At the residence of the assailants, the Mossos found several valuables and jewelry, whose provenance is yet to be determined. The investigation remains open. The two arrested are being investigated for nine crimes of aggravated robbery.
