Five people have been charged over 90 burglaries in the Paris region in which acid was used to break the locks on apartment doors.
Four of the suspects have been held in pre-trial detention since Wednesday and the fifth is being monitored by police, prosecutors in Nanterre, north-west of the French capital, told AFP.
In a rare method for break-ins, the robberies were carried out by injecting a corrosive liquid to destroy the locks of apartment doors, prosecutors and a police source said.
An investigation was launched last year after a July 2022 surge in burglaries using the technique in the Île-de-France region surrounding Paris.
They began in the early days of France’s summer holidays before tailing off in mid-September.
Europol data showed up similar cases in Austria in November 2022, followed by Belgium, Portugal and Germany.
Acid-enabled burglaries were again identified in France from early August, prompting a new organised crime investigation for theft and dealing in stolen goods.
Police were able to arrest six Georgian suspects at their safe houses and in a vehicle believed to have been used in the crimes, after setting up surveillance around the town of St-Cloud west of Paris following four break-ins.
Jewels, special chemical-resistant gloves, high-capacity syringes and gas masks were found in one search, the police source said.
They added that the suspects formed “established, professional teams” for their raids.
Source : The Guardian