It's a worrying series of burglaries. In Haute-Loire, four ultrasound machines were stolen in just a few days. Suspicions relate to the existence of an organized gang.
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When she arrived at work on November 21, Aurélie Pauze, a nurse, made a terrible discovery. The x-ray equipment was missing. She says: They arrived around 3am. The alarm went off. On surveillance videos, three men are seen entering the ultrasound room. They knew exactly where they were going.“
A targeted attack. In less than five minutes, the three men, hooded and gloved, stole the ultrasound machine worth around €60,000 and left. When she arrives, Aurélie discovers two broken doors and immediately notifies the police. “We didn't expect that when we arrived at work. We had a little adrenaline rush at the time. But we were quickly reassured when we saw that it was just equipment.”
During the night of November 20 to 21, the first medical center targeted was that of Puy-en-Velay, where two ultrasound machines were stolen. The burglars then headed towards the Aiguilhe medical imaging center, but they failed. Their journey ends in Yssingeaux, and during the night from Sunday to Monday, another office, this time in Brioude, is also broken into. The total damage is around €250,000.
The Puy-en-Velay public prosecutor was unable to respond to our requests. However, it confirms that the Clermont-Ferrand research brigade has been contacted, a unit with additional investigative resources. At this stage we do not have any further information. Suspicions fall on an organized gang responding to a specific request for medical equipment, as was already the case in 2019 in the departments of Loire and Haute-Loire.
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