Agents of the National Police have arrested seven people - four of them in Madrid and three in Valencia - for their alleged relationship with several robberies with force and using firearms, one of them in a jewelry store in a shopping center in Castellón, where They fired several shots.
In this assault, which occurred on November 15, five hooded people entered the establishment with maces and firearms and fired intimidating shots at the entrance to the shopping center, reports the National Police.
Later they entered the jewelry store, where they struck the weapon again, broke the glass display cases in which the jewelry was displayed and put the valuable objects into the backpacks, all in just forty seconds.
A sixth person was waiting in a stolen vehicle to begin a quick escape, sources indicate.
The members of the group had previously gone to the jewelry store to obtain information about the number of employees, security measures, location of the shopping center's cameras and security patrols.
When checking the recordings of the robbery, the agents observed how each of the robbers had clear and differentiated roles. Some carried clubs with which they broke the stained glass windows, others collected the jewels and kept them in bags, and a fifth held the firearm with which he threatened the shop assistants.
The latter is the one who fired several intimidating shots so that no one approached them.
The agents found out that the vehicle used in the robbery had been taken days before from Madrid to Valencia.
In addition, they located a second vehicle that served as a shuttle and was associated with an individual, which allowed its identification.
This man also acted as the leader of the organization and was the person waiting in the vehicle to facilitate the escape of those who entered the jewelry store.
He was also the one in charge of carrying out the work prior to the robbery and recruiting the members, being the link between the members based in Valencia and those in Madrid, which allowed the identification of the rest of the members of the group and the location. of the homes.
Authors of other robberies with force
The agents also confirmed that some of them had participated in a robbery with force in an inhabited house in the town of Villamarxant (Valencia).
They are also accused of another robbery in which a firearm was used in a tobacco shop in Benissanó (Valencia) where they beat the saleswoman and stole several cash registers and cash.
After this, the perpetrators took refuge in the home of the leader of the group to divide the loot and later some of them headed to Madrid, where the agents decided to surround them and arrest them.
Hours later, the rest of the group's members, including its leader, were arrested in several towns in the province of Valencia.
In total, the agents have carried out three searches in the homes of those investigated in which a pistol and a revolver, clothing used in the tobacco shop robbery, telephone terminals stolen from one of the victims and cash have been seized.
According to the National Police, the members of the criminal gang have an extensive criminal history, with numerous records, among others, for robberies with force.
