Fake police officer arrested in Sintra after faking house search
A 42-year-old man was arrested by the GNR in Sintra for posing as a security officer and conducting a fake house search to extort €21,500 from a family.
Fake police officer arrested in Sintra after faking house search
Security forces detained a 42-year-old man on Monday in the municipality of Sintra, district of Lisbon, accused of presenting himself as a member of a police force and carrying out a fictitious house search with the aim of extorting money. The information was made public by the GNR on Friday.
The investigation began after a complaint reported that several people had presented themselves as agents of a security force and that, after simulating a search in a residence, they would have taken approximately €21,500 from the occupants.
The military personnel immediately conducted investigative work which made it possible to locate and arrest one of the presumed perpetrators on the same day the complaint was filed. The vehicle allegedly used for transport during the criminal act was also recovered.
During the operation, in addition to the €21,500 that was stolen and recovered, officers seized €4,455 in cash, an expandable baton, a 6.35 millimetre calibre bullet, a car, a badge and fake warrants, as well as the clothing the presumed perpetrator used during the crime.
The detainee was brought before Sintra Judicial Court for his first judicial hearing, and a measure of preventive prison was ordered.
The GNR took the opportunity to issue an alert to the public: whenever someone presents themselves as a member of a security force, their professional identification should be requested. In case of suspicion, citizens should contact without delay the security force in their area, not authorising entry to their home or handing over money without confirming the legitimacy of the operation.
Source: Correio da Manhã
Source: Correio da Manhã