Since November 21, several incidents of home-jacking have sowed terror in Loire-Atlantique and Morbihan. The criminals, gloved and masked, broke into the homes of elderly, often modest victims in the middle of the night. Their method: kicking open the doors, quickly heading to the bedrooms, suddenly waking up their targets and threatening them with a handgun.
The victims, aged 60 to 90, were sometimes hit, particularly with the butt of the gun, while the suspects demanded jewelry, non-existent safes or cash. The spoils, however, were paltry compared to the level of violence used.
A stolen car betrays them
This is a detail that allowed investigators to follow the trail of the suspects: a Volkswagen stolen during one of the first burglaries and used for the following misdeeds. Thanks to this vehicle, the Nantes Research Section (SR) identified the gang's hideout: a hotel located in Rezé, south of Nantes.
Friday, December 6, at dawn, GIGN units from Nantes intervened to arrest three men and a woman, all young adults. A fifth suspect, identified as a potential receiver, was arrested two hours later.
A series stopped dead in its tracks
The emergency was real. The series of violent burglaries, which had started in Saint-Léger-les-Vignes, continued as far as Grandchamp-des-Fontaines, passing through Saint-Aignan-de-Grandlieu, Bouguenais and several Morbihan communes such as Arradon and Saint-Avé.
The searches led to the seizure of stolen items as well as a handgun, recognized by several victims.
Four suspects in pre-trial detention
A judicial investigation has been opened for theft and extortion with weapons by an organized gang. Four of the five suspects are the subject of requests for placement in pre-trial detention, indicated the Nantes prosecutor's office. Some of them are repeat offenders, having already been convicted of similar acts of violence and property damage.
If some deny their involvement, one suspect has already admitted his participation in the facts. The victims, for their part, are now trying to overcome the trauma left by these acts of incredible violence.
