Axarquía burglaries spread to Cajiz and Lagos

The spate of burglaries in the Axarquía continues. Following a wave a few weeks ago in several houses in Benajarafe Alto, residents in the hamlets of Cajiz and Lagos, which also belong to Véle-Málaga, and now total around twenty, according to sources consulted by this newspaper.

The burglars appear to be mainly targeting country houses and fincas and investigators believe that the same gang is behind all of them.

The first alert was in Benajarafe Alto when a number of houses were broken into in the early hours of the morning at the end of June and beginning of July. In some cases the occupants were asleep inside their homes when the burglaries took place.

The following weekend - 9 and 10 July - and again during the early hours of the morning, there were dozens of other robberies in houses and farms in Cajiz and Lagos. According to sources consulted, the thieves took jewellery and personal belongings after forcing their way into the homes. The 'modus operandi' involves forcing doors and windows and cutting fences around the properties.

Victims reported these incidents to the National Police and Guardia Civil and an investigation is currently under way. Residents also suspect that the thefts are being committed by the same people. "We hope they are caught soon because when you realise that your house has been broken into you feel totally defenceless," one of the victims told SUR.