Benalmádena pueblo on edge after string of 'gold and cash' burglaries

The police in Benalmádena Pueblo have launched a special large deployment to put an end to the series of burglaries that have been happening since the start of the year.

According to reports, there have been nine incidents in empty houses, with one exception, where the perpetrators thought the house was empty but there was a child with his grandmother still inside. They told the child that they were the police.

"We sleep in fear, we live in fear, we go out for a walk in fear, we come home from work in fear of opening the door and finding everything upside down," a local resident wrote on social media, tagging mayor Juan Antonio Lara.

According to what SUR has been able to learn, the first burglary was on 5 January, during the Three Kings' parade. The last one happened this past Sunday. Between them, there have been seven other burglary reports.

All the robberies seem to follow the same pattern: they mostly take place at weekends and at night and the thieves don't seem to need a vehicle because the loot fits in their pockets. This way, they avoid attracting attention.

"They only take money and gold. I had my computer and a tablet there, but they didn't take them. They obviously know what they are doing because they didnd't take costume jewellery that may only seem valuable," a victim that prefers to remain anonymous told SUR.

She left her house at 9pm on a Friday. The thieves had already raided her home by 10.45pm when she came back. "They have us under control, it's no coincidence. It's always houses in the Old Town and they don't care if there are shops or restaurants open," she said, adding that now she is planning on installing a security system.

The burglars seem to know where they are going because they often don't use the front door. Locksmiths say that it's easy to force windows and the perpetrators often access houses through balconies.

This criminal wave has prompted the Local and the National police to set up "a special operation" involving uniformed and plainclothes officers. They have strengthened their presence at access roads to Benalmádena Pueblo, "especially in the afternoon and evening".

So far, this operation has led to the identification of more than 30 suspects that "are currently under investigation". Despite this achievement, some locals doubt the operation's succes, given that "the robberies have continued in those three weeks".

Some say they feel not only "unsafe" but also "unprotected". "We just want to continue living in peace," they say.

The Local Police have urged the public to cooperate and call 092 if they see "any individual with a strange or suspicious attitude".