The NDP arrests a man and three women in Vila Franca de Xira for several shoplifting incidents.

A man and three women aged between 30 and 40 were arrested on Wednesday in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira on suspicion of several shopliftings, the GNR territorial command in Lisbon said this Saturday.

“Reports of thefts at commercial establishments” led to a “year-long investigation,” the memo said.

It was determined that the suspects “took advantage of periods of greater affluence and fewer employees in commercial areas to place items in shopping carts positioned next to the front door, where they took advantage of the opportune moment and activated the door sensor, the gateway, to make off with the stolen items.” products,” says GNR.

In this way, they stole various food products, drinks and hygiene products, which they “later put on a parallel market”, making a significant profit.

The GNR Territorial Command in Lisbon, through the Criminal Investigation Center of Vila Franca de Xira, also says that on Wednesday, following investigations, it detained four people and carried out a “search of an establishment outside the country”, finding several products. worth thousands of euros and confiscation of the vehicle.

The security forces also determined that the detainees were “suspected of having committed other illegal acts of the same nature” that occurred in Vilar Formoso (municipal area of ​​Almeida, Guarda district) and in the Algarve, causing damage that could amount to more than 50 people. one thousand euros.

The detainees were present at the first judicial interrogation, where a preventive measure in the form of preventive detention was applied to three of them. The fourth element will be questioned on Monday.