Alex Trelinski
SIX THIEVES who operated as a pack in Torrevieja shopping area car parks have been arrested by the Guardia Civil.
Five men and a woman- all Columbian nationals- stole in a method branded as ‘cogotero’ where they quickly moved through different locations using two cars.
They were rumbled by two off-duty Guardia officers travelling in one of their own vehicles.
They spotted three people driving around suspiciously in a car park and decided to see what they got up to.
A customer parked his car and then went to do his shopping in a supermarket.
One of the gang members then broke into his vehicle while the rest of the six-strong crew stayed in two cars which were kept running during the robbery.
The car park was monitored by his colleagues and walkie-talkies were used to warn him of any problems like the appearance of the police.
The plan was for the two cars to flee the scene once the burglary had been committed, but the off-duty officers had already summoned reinforcements and the gang was arrested before they could move to their next location.
The crew have been charged with five counts of robbery from cars in San Fulgencio and Torrevieja.
Officers seized €4,000, communication devices and a frequency inhibitor used to disable the central locking system of targeted cars, allowing thefts to be committed without breaking a window.
