Computer shop couple collared
Suspects are accused of usurping their customers IDs
A COUPLE who run a computer shop in Torrevieja have been arrested in connection with burglaries of rural homes in Guardamar del Segura and Sella in the north of Alicante province, reported the Guardia Civil.
To do this they used work uniforms and rented vehicles in the names of customers of the shop, according to a spokesman for the force.
It was the rural crime squad (ROCA) based in Calpe who successfully concluded the investigation, which had begun in January after two isolated homes in the village of Sella were broken into.
Their enquiries identified a Spanish couple, aged 33 and 39, who had been renting out vehicles using the personal details of customers from their shop, who looked physically similar to them.
They used this same fake documentation to identify themselves at police checkpoints as the man did not even have a driving licence.
The burglars always used the same method, wearing work clothes to look like labourers, driving around rural areas and picking a house, then entering the premises and disabling
any security cameras so that they could gain access without any problems.
They stole all sorts of belongings, from computer and camera equipment to televisions and even toys, which they later sold to second-hand shops.
The estimated value of everything stolen could be as much as €15,000 and while some of the goods have been recovered and returned to their owners, the Guardia
Civil are still trying to find the rest.
Officers from Torrevieja assisted with the raid on the couple’s home and a court in the town is overseeing the case. The suspects have been charged with four burglaries, identity theft, a road safety offence and misappropriation.
The court ordered that the man be jailed on remand and released the woman on charges.