Two individuals from the areas of Bilbao and Basauri, along with another resident of Bilbao, are under investigation for document forgery. The latter made transfers of the vehicle used to steal the bells, possibly intending to hinder the investigation by falsifying signatures on various documents.
The investigation began between January and February of this year, following the reported theft of approximately 1,600 kilograms of brass and bronze, valued at 12,000 euros, from companies located in the metropolitan area of Santander. Civil Guard officers from Camargo suspected that the perpetrators might be the same individuals, not only due to the temporal proximity, the stolen goods, and the closeness of the locations, but also because a van appeared in all instances.
This theory was dismissed after it was confirmed that it was not the same vehicle and that the incidents were unrelated. Regarding the forceful theft of 1,000 kilograms of brass, two residents of Sestao have been arrested. The acts were carried out on two different days, with access gained to the company by climbing and removing the brass in sacks for subsequent loading into a van.
Separately, a resident of Castro Urdiales was arrested as the alleged perpetrator of the theft of 400 kilograms of bronze. In this case, the individual accessed the rear of a company from where the metal was loaded onto another van.
Concerning the bells, two individuals residing in Bilbao and Basauri are being investigated as alleged perpetrators of their theft, and another resident of Bilbao was arrested for alleged document forgery.
The latter made transfers of the vehicle used for the theft of the bells, with the possible intention of hindering the investigation, even falsifying signatures on the various documents. The investigation is ongoing to locate the stolen items.
