Three individuals were arrested by the Guardia Civil in Almuñécar over the weekend suspected of being behind several cases of theft.

The first case of theft took place in a cafeteria using misplaced keys whilst the second and third suspects were involved in illegal entry into a flat by climbing down from the roof terrace.

The owner of the cafeteria in question had previously reported the loss of the keys to the premises and it appears that one of the three people arrested came across them. Then, waiting for the early hours, entered and emptied the cigarette machine of its change and several packets of cigarettes.

Shorty after the burglary, a Guardia Civil patrol identified the 37-year-old suspect, as he is a regular customer of the police with an extensive criminal record, and was outside the cafeteria, next to his car.

At that moment the police were not aware that a burglary had taken place but the suspect didn’t know that and decided to flee thinking that he was about to be arrested. By the time that the police reacted, he had made good his escape.

They did manage to see what was in the car; several packets of cigarettes and a large quantity of coins. Alerting other police officers by radio, this soon lead to his being detained.

The second case of theft happened in a block of flats on the Paseo del Altillo. Two young men managed to get past the block entrance and gain entrance to the roof terrace. They waited until the occupants of a flat just below them had gone to bed and managed to climb down onto a balcony and get through the sliding door. Once in they stole two mobile phones, a wallet, several pairs of sunglasses and a camera.

The next day the police turned up to inspect the scene of the robbery and after examining the CCTV footage at the entrance, were able to identify the suspects; again, two well-know local crooks, aged 20 and 21. Both were soon tracked down and arrested.

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