The Guardia Civil has arrested a man accused of taking part in a violent raid on an elderly woman’s home in San Javier five years ago, after DNA from a torn latex glove finally led investigators to a suspect.
The attack happened on the afternoon of May 8, 2021, when the victim opened her door to a man pretending to be a delivery driver. Moments later, three hooded men forced their way inside and threatened her with a knife.
The woman was held captive in her own home for more than an hour while the gang searched the property and tried to open a safe fixed to the floor inside a built-in wardrobe. When they failed to break into it, they stole jewellery valued at more than €12,000, along with a laptop and a high-end mobile phone, before fleeing.
The Guardia Civil launched Operation Ayuno 26 and carried out a detailed forensic examination of the house. During the search, officers found a piece of latex glove believed to have been used by one of the raiders. Investigators already suspected the attackers had worn gloves and face masks to avoid leaving biological evidence.
The sample was sent to the Guardia Civil’s criminalistics biology laboratory for analysis. Recent checks against national and international police DNA databases identified a man with an extensive criminal record for violent robberies and burglaries in several towns across the Region of Murcia.
Officers say further evidence links the suspect to the San Javier home invasion.
The man has now been arrested on suspicion of robbery with violence and intimidation, unlawful detention and making threats. The investigation remains part of Operation Ayuno 26.
