Two men, aged 39 and 48, have been arrested in connection with aggravated robbery, kidnapping, and qualified theft after allegedly breaking into the home of an 80-year-old man three times in Oliveira de Azeméis. During one of these incidents, the victim was reportedly “tied up and gagged” for three hours.
The suspects reportedly devised a plan to extort the elderly victim, entering his home on the early morning of July 18th. The police disclosed that they kept him “tied up and gagged for over three hours to prevent any reaction or call for help,” as detailed by the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) in a statement released on Monday.
Authorities noted that when the suspects realized they had failed to seize all the valuable items, they returned “to the location and repeated the act two days later, and again yesterday [Sunday].”
In the course of this latest attempt, during the early hours, the suspects were apprehended in flagrante delicto by PJ officers.
The men managed to steal goods, primarily non-precious metals, valued at tens of thousands of euros during the three incidents.
The suspects, with prior criminal records for similar offenses, are scheduled to appear before the judiciary for interrogation and determination of pre-trial measures.
[News updated at 11:42 AM]
