by Linda McGrory
BURGLARS who struck in broad daylight in Moville on
Saturday were later chased to the border by Gardai.
Traffic Corps officers deployed tyre stingers in the
border village of Muff in a bid to stop the Alfa
Romeo getaway car. And while the tyres were
successfully punctured, the thieves still managed to
escape over the border driving on the tyre rims, say
Gardai.
The incident happened shortly after the burglars
targeted two private homes within Moville town some
time between 11am and 3pm.
"A small sum of money was taken from one of the
houses while a safe, containing a larger sum of
money, was taken from the other house," said a Garda
spokesperson. "Both houses were unoccupied at the
time and there was a forced entry in one but the
other house appears to have been unsecured." Gardai
were tasked after reports that a dark-coloured Alfa
Romeo and its occupants were acting suspiciously in
the area.
Gardai from Buncrana and officers from the Traffic
Corps unit were then deployed. The chase started
around 2.45pm and continued until around 3.30pm. The
car was subsequently found abandoned in the
Ballyarnett area of Derry. None of the stolen money
was recovered. Meanwhile, PSNI officers conducted
forensic tests on the vehicle yesterday and a
cross-border investigation is continuing. The Garda
spokesperson said investigating officers believe up
to five people were involved including possibly two
females. He said the suspects range in age between
20 and 35. He described the daylight burglaries in
Moville as "brazen" and appealed for householders to
be extra vigilant. "People think it won't happen to
them but as we are increasingly seeing, it is
happening to them," said the spokesperson. Anyone
with information on the movements of the suspect car
or its occupants on Saturday are asked to contact
Gardai in Moville on 07493 82002. |
