30 people arrested in rural crime wave bust

GUARDIA CIVIL have cracked down on robberies in inland areas of the Guadalhorce Valley (Malaga) and arrested 30 people. For the past two months, residents in the area lived in fear that their home would be the next to be targeted by thieves who had focused their attention on country houses, stealing anything they could get money for, from jewellery and electrical equipment to scrap metal and food, entering the properties at any time of the day or night.

Reports of crimes had double in the area, and Guardia Civil met several times with Local Police and residents to inform them that a special plan had been put into action to prevent further robberies, mainly carried out by inexperienced thieves who would flee at the sight of the owners.

Amongst the detainees there are mostly young people of several different nationalities who acted in groups of between two and four people.

In most cases, the damage they caused getting into the properties amounted to more than the value of the objects they stole.

The number of robberies has now fallen, although it is feared the criminals will now target uninhabited areas with less surveillance.