Five Almuñequeros have been arrested by the Guardia Civil in connection with the fatal fire in Edificío Miama late last week. The case is now being treated as a homicide.

It was last Saturday the 26th when 43-year-old Jesús M.C. was found in the charred flat on Calle Cariñena (running past Bar El Faro). The fireman discovered his dead body when they broke the door down to tackle the flames.

It had looked like an accident – a careless cigarette, and the victim evidently died from smoke inhalation.

However, the Guardia Civil had their suspicions from the start – as did the family, it seems. Things just didn’t seem to fit or better said, things were missing, like a 52-inch television and other possessions.

Witnesses reported that they had seen the victim drinking heavily with five other individuals on the night of the incident – those detained fit the description.

According the line of investigation that the Guardia Civil is taking, the group of suspects, aged between 28 and 38, two women and three males, accompanied the victim to his flat with the intention of taking advantage of his inebriated state in order to steal his possessions.

At some stage the victim decided to go to bed, at which point the suspects allegedly started removing the TV, mobile phone, etc.

Now, it appears that the only one of the group that has a criminal record (a woman with seven arrests) decided to set fire to the sofa with her cigarette lighter “to give him a fright,” according to her own statement before the police.

The five arrested men and women will appear before a magistrate tomorrow, Friday the 2nd, which is at the limit of the maximum holding time of 72 hours.

(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)