National Police authorities detained a man and a woman who faced charges related to a theft operation. A substantial amount of copper cable, totaling 1,810 kilograms, was recovered from electrical installations in several residential districts and private housing developments in Dand Alicante, Mutxamel, San Vicente del Raspeig, and Campello. The theft inflicted damage exceeding 40,000 euros, impacting multiple communities and utilities across the area.
The detained man had more than three decades of hands-on experience as an electrician. He reportedly leveraged his technical knowledge to gain access to neighboring communities and urbanizations. To blend in, he presented himself in work attire reminiscent of industrial personnel and used a private communication channel associated with workers in the field, enabling discreet entry into controlled spaces.
Once inside buildings with access to the meter rooms, he manipulated electrical panels and tampered with the wiring from the meters outward to the living units. He preferred higher floors because more meters could be reached, so he proceeded to upper levels, removed protective covers on electric conduits, and severed the wires at the service points, effectively disconnecting power to multiple residences. The operation required careful handling to minimize detection, given the risk involved in altering electrical infrastructure.
His extensive knowledge as a plumber and electrician allowed him to understand which components held the highest value and were easiest to market. This insight helped him select targets in communities or districts where substantial gain could be achieved, sparing no effort in identifying the most lucrative points to exploit.
In assessing which homes to approach, the individual drew on his industry experience to study consumption patterns and meter behavior. He looked for uninhabited or temporarily vacated residences where disconnections would be less noticeable, making the thefts easier to hide and more likely to go unnoticed for longer periods.
Photographs showed the detainee’s vehicle and the tools he carried, underscoring the methodical nature of the operation. The two suspects were later observed and apprehended while traveling in the man’s vehicle, with a large quantity of bare copper wire and a collection of tools destined for sale in hand. The arrest marked a decisive step in dismantling the network behind the scheme.
A subsequent home search yielded additional copper materials believed to have been taken from other sites. Investigators pieced together data from multiple incidents, concluding that the pair had carried out a series of isolated thefts rather than a single, spontaneous crime, all contributing to the broader security breach in the affected neighborhoods.
Ongoing police work, including technical analysis and surveillance reviews conducted by the Alicante Provincial Science Police Brigade, corroborated the events and traced the activities to the suspects. Surveillance footage from several communities supported the investigative findings, helping authorities connect individual thefts into a coherent pattern of behavior over a defined period.
In the aftermath, the suspects were taken into custody. The man, of Spanish nationality and aged 51, has a prior criminal record and was placed under the jurisdiction of the Guards Education Court following formal proceedings. The partner, a 40-year-old woman with a related criminal history, was held for questioning and later released after giving her statement at the police station, with arrangements for transfer to the courthouse pending further actions. The investigation remains active as authorities continue to review related cases and verify related losses and connections to other potentially affected properties.