Violent criminal gang who preyed on elderly victims in Spain dismantled

THE police have confirmed the detention of 11 members of a criminal gang who committed violent robberies at the homes of elderly residents in Barcelona, Spain.

As reported by the Mossos d’Esquadra, an investigation began in June of this year after an elderly victim with serious health problems reported that they had been brutally beaten alongside their 53-old-son in a frightening home robbery. Here, three assailants had forced entry inside the property and had assaulted and intimidated the pair to get their hands on cash, jewellery, mobile phones and their car before fleeing from the scene.

Evidently in a state of shock and despair, the son reported the incident to the police, where one month later they were able to link the crime to a burglary in Lliçà de Vall where four men had forced entry into the home of an 80-year-old man, who was brutally beaten before being robbed.

In this case, the victim’s desperate cries for help raised the alarm, with a neighbour banging on the door in an attempt to scare the thieves and be let inside the property. This led to the assailants fleeing from the balcony and climbing up onto the roof of the property, where one of the thieves then fell and was seriously injured. Unable to move, he was then arrested by the police, where upon questioning, they were able to link the man to a series of other crimes in the region.

Through investigative work, officers were able to connect the man to a criminal gang who carried out a string of robberies. The group preyed on elderly residents, where the men would follow the same pattern, seeking out vulnerable people and using extreme violence during the robberies.

Once enough evidence was collected, police carried out various raids on homes across Barcelona between October and December of this year, where upon a search of the premises they collectively found more than €7,000 in cash, jewellery and other reported stolen items related to investigated thefts.

As Euro Weekly News understands, the police believe that they have arrested all those responsible for the crimes, where the 11 individuals have been remanded in custody and are due to appear in court in due course.