Thief caught robbing houses barefoot in Barcelona (with people inside)

BarcelonaHe scaled interior courtyards and building facades, searching for an open window or a door ajar. He climbed to "unbelievable" places. "It seemed incredible that a person could climb," recalls Inspector Jordi Alsina, head of the Horta-Guinardó police station of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police). Once he reached his personal summit, he would stealthily remove his shoes and step barefoot onto the apartment floor, careful not to make any noise and wake the residents. Then everything moved very quickly. If nothing disturbed him, he would search for jewelry, cell phones, cash... He would shine a flashlight everywhere. Shortly afterward, he would disappear with his loot.

An unknown man committed at least 17 burglaries in homes in the Carmel neighborhood of Barcelona in just over a month. Several security cameras captured him, and the method was the same, but the person, apparently, changed. First he had long hair, then dyed it red, then shaved his head... It all turned out to be an escape technique. He usually acted at night, when families were asleep. After weeks of investigation, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) were able to identify a man responsible for all these crimes.

Finally, on October 30, a 37-year-old man was arrested for 17 robberies—five of them attempted—a robbery with violence at a residence and another in the street, trespassing, theft, and credit card fraud, as announced this Monday by the Catalan police. The arrested man was well-known to the police—he already had 19 arrests—and has been remanded in custody.

"He did it to throw us off the scent."

In fact, on the day he was caught, he was committing two more robberies. The tenants only woke up once, and it led to a fight—the robbery with violence he is charged with. Security cameras in the homes and on the streets were key to his identification. However, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) warn that it was difficult, as he acted in a broken state after the robberies. He changed his hair and clothes, and even his address. "He did it to throw us off," says Inspector Alsina. The arrested man took advantage of his connections with petty criminals or acquaintances who slept in squats or occupied buildings, which made his capture difficult for investigators.

The suspect's frenetic criminal activity prompted various units from the Horta-Guinardó police station, including the Citizen Security unit and plainclothes officers, to launch an operation on Sigüenza Street until they located him at a residence. He was arrested on the 30th after several residents alerted emergency services (112) about robberies in the area. The ARRO (Rapid Response Unit) also participated in the arrest operation. It is estimated that he stole approximately €10,000 in cash, in addition to other valuables.