Three men and one woman, aged between 24 and 47, were arrested on Sunday during a police operation in Santo Tirso, Vila Nova de Famalicão, and Póvoa de Varzim, involving 48 officers from the Northern Directorate of the PJ.
This afternoon, in a press conference, the PJ disclosed that the group “operated in a coordinated manner”, gathering privileged information to select their targets and choosing the right time for the burglaries, predominantly during the early hours.
The drone seized as evidence during the police operation was used to survey locations, detailed Chief Inspector António Pinto, who described the group as “highly organized.”
According to the investigation leader, the burglaries between January and June yielded approximately 160 thousand euros – 60 thousand in cash and 100 thousand in valuable items – with the elderly, due to their vulnerability, being the group’s preferred targets.
Victims, aged between 60 and 92 years, were threatened with firearms and physically assaulted as coercion to reveal where they kept money and valuables, with some requiring hospital treatment “not due to the severity of their injuries, but because of their vulnerability,” stated the PJ inspector.
“The psychological violence” inflicted, detailed the detective, resulted in some victims finding it difficult to return home, with some opting to stay with relatives.
The four suspects, all with criminal records for property crimes and two having familial ties, were presented today for the first interrogation at the Criminal Instruction Court of Matosinhos to determine coercive measures.
The charges include aggravated robbery, qualified theft, kidnapping, qualified bodily harm, arson, and possession of a prohibited weapon.
Following Sunday’s police operation, five vehicles, several firearms, gold items, identity-concealing objects, and approximately 20 thousand euros in cash were seized.
The PJ admitted today that the number of burglaries could increase.
“We believe these individuals may have committed other crimes not currently under PJ investigation,” further revealed the investigation leader.
