Sax vehicle thieves nabbed
Four arrested after several reports
THE GUARDIA Civil have arrested four people and accused them of various crimes including vehicle theft, robbery using force and intimidation, and belonging to a criminal gang.
On August 3, Guardia Civil in Sax received a complaint filed by man from Santomera (Murcia) who claimed that his motorcycle had been stolen, by means of deception, in Monóvar.
According to a spokesman for the force, the victim stated that he had offered a motocross bike for sale on a second hand goods website. A man from Petrer answered the advert and arranged to meet the victim in Monóvar to formalise the purchase.
On the day, the alleged buyer asked the seller if he could test the motorcycle, to which the owner agreed. He hopped on the bike, rode off and never returned.
Sax Guardia Civil launched an investigation into the theft, discovering that the person who stole the motorcycle had done so for the sole purpose of swapping it for equipment to grow marijuana (valued at around €3,000) with a man from Sax.
This exchange was carried out and the person who received the motorcycle in return for the equipment decided to advertise it for sale, unaware that it was a stolen vehicle.
The original owner of the motorcycle spotted this new advertisement offering his recently stolen bike for sale and immediately informed the Guardia Civil.
Officers contacted the seller posing as buyers, arranging a meeting and so recovered the stolen vehicle.
The man from Sax was left without a vehicle or his marijuana cultivation equipment, so he then demanded money from the Petrer man who had originally stolen the motorcycle.
The spokesman explained that this time the thief promised to hand over a car as payment, for which he hatched another plot to get hold of a vehicle without paying for it.
On August 14, Sax Guardia Civil received a complaint from a man in Elche who reported his car had been stolen. In his complaint, the man explained that he and a friend (who turned out to be the motorbike thief) had arranged to meet with an 18-year-old woman (who was the cousin of the thief) in a clearing outside Sax.
On arrival at the designated spot, another man (who would turn out to be the owner of the cultivation equipment) accompanied by a minor, appeared out of nowhere and proceeded to beat him with a wooden cane and then took off in his car, according to the spokesman.
Investigating officers immediately recognised all those involved in the previous motorbike theft from the descriptions provided by the victim.
They immediately phoned the man from Sax who owned the cultivation equipment, and he admitted straight away that that he had the car in one of his fields. A tow truck accompanied by Villena Guardia Civil picked up the car and later delivered it to its rightful owner.
As well as the attack and theft of his car, the victim had also reported he was missing keys to a motorbike and a smartphone. Both these items were also recovered and returned to their rightful owner.
The four people arrested in connection with the crimes are of Spanish nationality, and include a 21-year-old man from Petrer accused of stealing a motorbike using deception; a 33year-old from Sax and his 16year-old son accused of robbery of a car using violence and intimidation; and an 18-year-old woman, a cousin of the Petrer man, for being an accessory (by enticing the victim to the crime scene) to the crime of robbery with violence and intimidation.
All four were also charged with belonging to a criminal group. They all appeared before a judge and were released to await their trial.