National police and local police in Melilla have dismantled a gang that sets fire to cars in the autonomous city after more than 110 vehicles caught fire on public roads this year.

According to a spokesman for the Higher Police Authority, the investigation began on October 14, when at 3:48 am it was reported that an Audi car parked on public roads had caught fire, namely in the area of ​​​​Avenida de las Infantas de. Spain in the Real area.

The investigation into this deliberate act was taken over by the Special Unit for Combating Violent Crimes (UDEV) of the Melilla Police Headquarters, whose agents organized a police operation to collect information about the incident, as well as to search for eyewitnesses who could provide any information, no matter how small, which together will help investigators clarify the facts.

After an exhaustive analysis of all documentation received, witness statements, images from cameras located near the fire site, etc. It was possible to establish that two young people driving a Mercedes car collected gasoline in a canister. at an on-duty gas station, they subsequently approached the damaged car, doused it with newly purchased gasoline, set it on fire and fled the scene in the same car in which they were driving.

Once complete identification of the perpetrators of the deliberate arson is achieved, they are searched, located and arrested with a request for cooperation with the local police.

The police spokesman said that on the afternoon of the 3rd, the local police of Melilla discovered these persons and proceeded to arrest them, reporting to the headquarters of the national police and handing over the detainees to the custody of UDEV. UDEV, following a mandatory report investigation, prosecuted those arrested as alleged perpetrators of deliberately setting the vehicle on fire.

The above-mentioned source stressed that the National Police and the Local Police are currently conducting a joint operation to combat this type of crime, which includes monitoring all gas stations where gasoline is purchased, which is later used to speed up the fire, patrolling and monitoring vehicles that may be equipped with tools to commit a crime, as well as areas where such criminal activities occur.

These crimes, classified as causing harm, can relatively easily result in a much more serious crime in the event of endangering the life and physical integrity of people, punishable by imprisonment for a term of ten to 20 years, provided for in Article 351 of the Criminal Code.