Family pulled from beds around 4am
Masked armed man have raided a third house in the well-heeled Cascais/ Sintra area, forcing terrified occupants out of their beds and then disappearing into the night with cash and valuables.
The latest incident happened in Alcabideche. The victims have been described as a family from Belarus, including two young children.
Like previous assaults in Colares and Odrinhas, the raiders used pistols/ revolvers.
They broke into the house through a side door at 4am, storming into the family’s bedrooms, to wake them up and herd them into one room.
While one of the men stood watch over the terrified victims, armed with a revolver, the others set about searching through the house – stealing cash, jewellery, watches and cell phones.
Before leaving the raiders found the keys to a Corvette car, and reportedly fled using the vehicle.
There were no injuries. PJ police are investigating.
The tie-in with previous robberies follows the very similar modus operandi. The first incident came on August 29, in Colares (a very bijou community in the borough of Sintra). Eight young British tourists were held hostage as four armed men set about ransacking the property – a holiday let.
The gang had a getaway car parked close by. The men made off with watches, and two motorbikes.
Earlier last week (Monday September 5), five armed men stormed a house in Odrinhas, Sintra, where five people from the same family were sleeping. Exactly like the latest incident, the victims were all herded into one room and guarded as the men ransacked the house, leaving with valuables.
