A gang of Colombian burglars based in Spain has spent the last five years specializing in robbing the homes of footballers from top clubs in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy. According to the Jornal de Notícias, the group is based in Spain, and Portugal's PSP police suspect it has access to privileged information about the players.
The gang's latest target was Deniz Gül, a footballer for FC Porto. Gül's house in Vila Nova de Gaia was burgled on Sunday, and the suspects made off with more than 250,000 euros in watches and jewelry.
Another FC Porto player, Jan Bednarek, had his home burgled in May this year, as the Correio da Manhã reported at the time. Suspects took goods worth around 150,000 euros. Bednarek was not at home when the burglars forced their way in, but he arrived and surprised the suspects, who then threatened him with a knife.
How the burglars operate
According to information from the authorities, the method used by the gang is similar in every burglary. The group targets homes when athletes and their families are away, monitoring the victims' movements and the property the day before the robbery.
In the Bednarek burglary, the suspects staged everyday scenarios to check whether anyone was home, at one point throwing a ball into the property as an excuse to ring the doorbell, according to the Jornal de Notícias.
Authorities say the suspects leave for Spain on the very day of each burglary, where they sell the stolen goods on the black market.
