Spain’s National Police said on Wednesday that they had dismantled a burglary ring responsible for targeting upscale residences in Madrid, including the homes of at least two prominent La Liga players.
Six suspects were apprehended in connection with a string of ‘eight house burglaries since July 2022’, a police statement said.
According to Spanish media, police sources revealed that among the properties raided were those belonging to Rodrygo, the Brazilian winger for Real Madrid, and Radamel Falcao, the Colombian striker for Rayo Vallecano, a rival Madrid team.
However, authorities declined to disclose whether additional footballers had been impacted.
To scope out their targets, the burglars ‘would check social media, studying the photographs and videos that the footballers and their friends and family would post from inside their homes’, the statement said.
That enabled them to earmark valuable objects and where they were, but social media posts also tipped them off as to ‘when the owners were not at home’.
They would visit the properties to look at the outside to study the types of security systems being used and to scope out the best way to get in.
The suspects face multiple charges, including burglary with force, robbery involving violence or intimidation, forgery of documents, and money laundering. Three of them have been remanded in custody by a judge.
The incident that tipped off police to their activity took place in May 2023 in the northern suburb of Alcobendas with a theft mainly involving luxury watches and jewellery that was worth some €500,000.
During the arrest operation, police seized 10 luxury watches, jewels and more than €3,300 in cash, along with two air pistols.
La Policía Nacional ha detenido a los seis integrantes de una banda sospechosa de haber robado en ocho viviendas situadas en urbanizaciones de lujo, entre ellas las de futbolistas > https://t.co/dIpabfoWlE pic.twitter.com/CjD1UlHa2k
— Informativos Telecinco (@informativost5) March 13, 2024
🚩Desarticulado un grupo criminal especializado en robar en viviendas de futbolistas
— Policía Nacional (@policia) March 13, 2024
🚩Sus seis integrantes han sido detenidos, ingresando tres de ellos en prisión, y se les atribuyen ocho robos en domicilios desde 2022 en #Alcobendas, #PozuelodeAlarcón, #Torrelodones y #Madrid pic.twitter.com/Dn2RgZFGWQ
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