On Wednesday, December 3, the GNR arrested three men who are suspected of simulating accidents and then scamming elderly people, making them pay for damage they had allegedly created in their cars.
In a statement released this Thursday, December 4, the GNR explains that the crimes were committed in the districts of Santarém and Coimbra and that the suspects confronted the victims with simulated road accidents, inducing them to believe that they had caused damage to the vehicles.
It was at that time that they coerced the victims into handing over large amounts of money to cover the alleged compensation for the damages.
“From the investigation, it was found that the targets were previously selected, due to their age, and were particularly vulnerable victims”, can be read in the GNR note, which also indicates that in some cases the suspects even went to the victims’ homes, where they carried out thefts worth tens of thousands of euros.
The operation included two arrest warrants, three home search warrants and four vehicle search warrants, seizing 3,045 euros in cash, a revolver, three firearms, 87 ammunition of various calibers and two cell phones.
Two of the men, aged 18 and 25, were arrested for qualified fraud and the third, aged 23, for possession of a prohibited weapon.
The suspects will undergo their first judicial interrogation at the Braga Judicial Court, where the respective coercive measures will be applied to them.