Man Arrested in Barakaldo for Attempted Residential Burglary

A neighbor's alert led police to a man placing markers on apartment locks, resulting in his arrest for attempted theft.

Close-up of a door lock with a piece of paper inserted.
IA

Close-up of a door lock with a piece of paper inserted.

The Ertzaintza (Basque police) arrested a 43-year-old man in Barakaldo last Friday, accused of attempting to burglarize several homes in the San Vicente neighborhood.

The man, who has prior convictions for property crimes, was found in the storage area of a building after placing paper markers on the locks of several residences to monitor residents' presence.
A call from a neighbor alerted officers when they noticed suspicious papers on the locks of two apartments. Responding officers initially confirmed two locks had been tampered with, but a subsequent inspection revealed that six locks in the building had been manipulated.
Police resources searched the entire building down to the storage floor, where they located a man not belonging to the community who aroused their suspicions. A body search yielded paper scraps identical to those found on the locks, along with a small stick presumably used to insert the markers.
Based on these findings, the man, who has a record of property offenses, was arrested for attempted burglary. He was taken to police headquarters and later presented before a judge.