In one case, the group robbed a house, beating and locking the owner in a room. In another, they kidnapped the resident of a house and forced him to tell them where he had money and provide credit card codes.
Three people , two men and a woman, were arrested by the Judiciary Police (PJ) for being suspected of committing the crimes of aggravated robbery, kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking, abuse of a guarantee or credit card and possession of a prohibited weapon.
In a statement, sent this Monday to newsrooms, the authority said the group stole a house, having assaulted and locked the owner in a room. In another case, the suspects kidnapped the resident of another house and forced him to say where he had money and to provide credit card codes.
The first crime occurred on October 20, 2022, at 3:00 pm, in the city of Maia, when “the suspects entered the interior of a residence, physically assaulted and closed the owner, in a dependency of the house, having subtracted several goods and money in an amount greater than 9.000 euros “.
The second dates back to November 13 of the same year, when, by 20h00, the suspects entered the garage of a building, also in the city of Maia and approached an individual residing there, “having transported him, in his own car, to an unknown location where he was tied to a chair, with his face always covered, for about 17 hours “.
“During this period of time, he was being beaten in order to say where he had money, as well as the bank card codes”, added the PJ.
Already in possession of two bank cards, the suspects tried to make ATM withdrawals, without success. They managed, however, seize “a few hundred euros in cash and other goods, eventually release the offended in the city of Gondomar”.
Already on Sunday, 13 August, home searches were carried out in the localities of Lousada, Gondomar and Porto, in which it was possible to seize more than three kilograms of cocaine, heroin and hashish, enough for hundreds of individual doses, as well as cutting product, precision scale, a pistol and several ammunition of prohibited caliber.
The detainees, aged between 22 and 26 years, already with criminal record and police references for crimes against property, physical integrity and drug trafficking, were presented to the competent judicial authority for questioning and application of coercive measures deemed appropriate.
The two men were subjected to preventive detention, while the woman was obliged to presentations at a police station.
