Gardaí following definite line in hunt for car-thieving gang

Gang of young males steal at least three cars in spate of raids on estates in Listowel, Killarney, Castleisland & Ballybunion

© Kerryman

Yesterday at 06:00

PEOPLE are being warned to make sure their cars and homes are fully secure at night after a gang of brazen car thieves hit the county over four successive nights last week.

Gardaí believe the one gang was behind the theft of three cars between Listowel and Killarney as well as a spate of break-ins to cars in housing estates in both towns as well as Castleisland and Ballybunion.

But the gardaí are now following a definite line of inquiry and have obtained CCTV footage from a number of areas targeted by the gang.

A BMW was stolen from outside a house in a Listowel estate sometime between 2.30am and 3am in the early hours of Thursday last, February 1.

It’s believed the thieves were able to steal the keys to the car from the house before driving off. But they also entered a number of other cars in the same estate, rifling through glove boxes and compartments for valuables; and trying the front doors of houses to see if any had been left unlocked.

They moved onto another estate in the town afterwards, again attempting to enter cars before hitting Ballybunion where they also tried opening numerous parked cars.

A van was stolen in Castleisland the following night as the gang cased further estates.

And sometime late on Saturday/early Sunday morning two vehicles were taken from outside a property in the Aghadoe area of Killarney; where evidence of numerous other attempts to break-in to cars were seen by residents as they woke up the following morning.

Eagle-eyed gardaí on the beat on Tralee observed one of the cars stolen from Aghadoe driving through the town by day and subsequently officers recovered it at the rear of a hotel outside Tralee. The other vehicle taken from Aghadoe was also found after it crashed outside Tralee.

Gardaí meanwhile tracked down the BMW stolen from Listowel in the early hours of Thursday morning – recovering it in the Killarney area on Tuesday.

Gardaí say they are following a definite line of inquiry into the spate of robberies, break-ins and attempted break-ins. It is believed the gang are based in the greater Cork region and operated from a location in Kerry over the four nights of their spree. Gardaí have appealed to the public for information and to ensure that all properties are locked and secured by night.