In the early hours of Monday, the National Police in Palma arrested a Bulgarian said to be a member of a dangerous gang of compatriots wanted in connection with a series of violent robberies.
Around 2am, an unmarked National Police car was stationed at the entrance to the Son Banya shanty town. A grey Toyota Yaris was seen entering Son Banya with the lights off. A few minutes later, as the Toyota was leaving, the police car's lights and siren were activated. The Toyota accelerated and there was then a car chase that finished when the Toyota entered a dead-end street in Es Pil·larí.
The three occupants abandoned the car and ran off, jumping over walls and crossing private properties. Officers eventually managed to catch one of the three and arrest him.
The Toyota, it was established, had been stolen some months previously. A search revealed short firearms, a balaclava and tools to carry out robberies. The police had captured a member of a dangerous criminal gang being sought for violent robberies, including robberies at gunpoint, in Mallorca.
A Palma court ordered the arrested man to prison. Evidence obtained by the police has enabled them to identify the two others who were in the Toyota; their arrests are said to be imminent.