Off-duty police officer dismantles two theft gangs in Valencia: four arrested
A plainclothes officer detected suspicious movements in his stairwell in Valencia, leading to the dismantling of two criminal cells responsible for at least 17 residential burglaries.
Off-duty police officer detects itinerant thieves in his own building in Valencia
An off-duty national police officer triggered the dismantling of two criminal cells dedicated to residential burglaries after noticing suspicious behaviour in the stairwell of his own building in Valencia, according to a statement from the National Police Headquarters reported by ABC.
The investigations arising from that alert concluded with the arrest of four men aged between 21 and 43, members of two gangs of Georgian and Croatian origin respectively, to whom at least 17 assaults are attributed.
First arrest: early morning of 4 July
Two of those arrested, belonging to the gang of Georgian origin, were intercepted in the early morning of 4 July. The off-duty officer observed one of them loitering with suspicious behaviour in the residential building and detected that he had met with a second individual outside the building.
Police identified them and seized tools used for committing burglaries, as well as a vehicle. They were arrested as suspected perpetrators of an attempted burglary with force.
Subsequent investigations by the Robbery unit of the Provincial Judicial Police Brigade in Valencia made it possible to attribute to them their involvement in another twelve residential burglaries in Valencia—eight completed and four attempted—committed using the false key technique between March and July of this year, largely during Holy Week, in the Trànsits and Exposició districts.
Investigators also verified that this organisation operates with marked criminal mobility, acting in different parts of Spain and abroad. One of those arrested had an active extradition order from France for his imprisonment for similar offences.
Second arrest: 7 July, Croatian gang in flight
The other two members, belonging to the Croatian-origin organisation, were arrested on 7 July following an alert from a neighbour in the Trànsits district, who notified the National Police upon seeing two men accessing a neighbour's home.
Several patrol cars went immediately to the scene and managed to intercept the suspects as they fled the building. The tools used to force the locks were seized from them, as well as all stolen property. Subsequent investigations also attributed to them three additional attempted residential burglaries committed between 22 and 25 August 2025 in the Trànsits, Exposició and Russafa districts, using the lock-sliding or lock-fracture technique.
The four arrested individuals have been made available to the courts and imprisonment has been ordered for all of them.
National Police advice for preventing residential burglaries
Following the operation, the National Police have circulated a series of recommendations to prevent citizens from becoming victims of this type of crime.
Fully locking the door is the first measure, since the lock-sliding method—which consists of inserting a piece of plastic between the frame and the latch—only works if the lock is not fully engaged.
Discretion whilst on holiday: it is advisable to avoid announcing absences, whether in person or through social media, and to try to make the home appear occupied. Lowering all shutters, for example, can be a signal to criminals.
Plastic witnesses or adhesive threads on the frame or on the access door are signs that someone is checking whether the building is uninhabited. In that case, the Police recommend calling 091 immediately.
Do not open the main door to strangers, as it may compromise the security of the entire residential community. In the event of suspicious persons in the building or in the residential area, the recommendation is equally to call 091.
When unusual noises are heard in a nearby home—especially if it is known that its occupants are on holiday—the Police advise contacting 091 so that a patrol can check whether a burglary is being attempted.
Source: ABC