The National Police last week arrested four people, three men and a woman, in connection with 13 muggings and armed robberies carried out between 29 January and 19 March. None of the four have criminal records but they are members of the same sports club and all are addicted to gambling, hence their need for money to cover their bets and debts.
The investigation into the wave of armed robberies was opened on 29 January after an employee at a chemists in Can Pastilla reported an armed robbery. On the day in question a man wearing a ski mask and armed with pistol stormed the store demanding cash; he escaped with 300 euros.
Further similar robberies were then committed up to 19 March; over 6,000 euros in cash was stolen in total. On these occasions, masked armed men targeted petrol stations, chemists and a bakery. On 14 March, two employees were met by three people wearing ski masks, one armed with a pistol, another with a baseball bat. The employees were forced to the ground and told to empty their pockets.
On 21 March, a routine National Police patrol stopped a vehicle in Playa de Palma after it was spotted making an unusual manoeuvre. Inside the vehicle clothing similar to that described by the victims was found. The serious crime squad was contacted and they managed to prove that the clothing was that used in the armed robberies. The two were arrested, and searches uncovered ski masks, pistols and a taser gun.
On 23 March, the police managed to locate and arrest the rest of the gang.
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Oops. Corrected. Thank you.
Last line of penultimate paragraph "ski marks" I assume should read ski masks not skid marks!!!
Hopefully,very long prison sentences will be handed down to these thugs,being a gambling addict does not excuse the sheer terror that they have brought to innocent people.