The Benidorm Civil Guard has arrested two men for breaking into and stealing from vehicles, parked on golf courses in the southern Costa Blanca, close to the AP7 motorway. So far, they have been charged with 9 crimes of theft, 1 of robbery, 1 internet scam and 1 crime of belonging to a criminal group, although investigators say that the number of charges may rise further as they are still looking into at least 40 other similar crimes.
On May 23, a man reported to the San Juan de Alicante Civil Guard, that his vehicle had been robbed while he was playing golf in Denia.
Fortunately the crime was recorded on security cameras which showed that the men were able to unlock the central cocking of the vehicle using a frequency inhibitor. Once inside the vehicle it was a simple case of removing the valuables.
The police investigation found that similar robberies had taken place at golf courses in the area on at least 40 other occasions. The most surprising aspect was that they had all been carried out within the space of a week, from May 19 to 26.
They had also occurred in the provinces of Malaga, Almería, Murcia, Alicante, Valencia, Castellón, Tarragona and Barcelona.
A roaming force of investigators was determined to find them before they left the province, as any delay would make an arrest much more difficult.
Their enquiries paid off and after spending four days at a course in Benidorm, one of them was arrested inside a sports store and the other as he was about to flee in a rental vehicle in which they travelled.
In the car the police found 554 euros in cash, 7 items of branded clothing and a watch valued at 500 euros.
The two men, 30 and 32 years old, were arrested and charged with 12 different crimes.
Both have multiple records for illegal acts committed with the same modus operandi.
So far, it has been possible confirm that the crimes occurred in Pilar de la Horadada (6), Orihuela (1), Jávea (1), Alicante (1) and Malaga (1), all against foreign victims. As the investigations progress it is thought that many more crimes will come to light.
