A 34-year-old man has been arrested by the Guardia Civil, suspected of having carried out five robberies in Sa Pobla and three others in Inca.
The robberies took place between the middle of February and mid-March and led to a state of some anxiety among residents of both towns. The robberies were carried out at knifepoint.
Controls by the Guardia Civl were designed to force the robber, who concealed himself with a balaclava, to leave his "comfort zone" of Sa Pobla (the person arrested lives there). The controls eventually led to the suspect being identified.
The targets for the robberies were shops. Personnel were threatened with the knife and forced to hand over the contents of safes. In certain instances, there were struggles, which resulted in staff being assaulted. On two occasions, there were attempts to stab people. Fortunately, these were not successful.
Several thousand euros were taken from one shop in Sa Pobla. The same supermarket was the target a week later. It was during this robbery that a member of staff was injured during a violent tussle.
The man detained is said to have an extensive criminal record.