By Dirk Böttger, Michael Behrendt and Maren Wittge
The police took action against a gang of thieves on Friday morning. Officers searched apartments in several Berlin districts. The special operations command (SEK) and customs were also in action. One of the main accused is said to be a member of the Rabih clan family.
The investigators struck at 6 a.m. sharp and searched six properties in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Neukölln and Lichtenberg. Four main suspects are being investigated (26, 32, 37, 39).
Evidence is transported away in large bags Photo: Spreepicture
The reproach: The gang is said to have stolen care products, as well as chocolate, coffee and nuts in large quantities and resold them commercially. The perpetrators are said to have stolen the products in large shopping carts from supermarkets and other stores within minutes. They are then said to have temporarily stored the loot in a specially rented underground car park. According to Berlin police, the gang was active between July 5th and August 25th.
The gang is said to have stolen goods from at least ten food and clothing stores as well as drugstores. “In order to then resell them profitably,” as a police spokeswoman said. The loot: The thieves took items of clothing, a high-quality bag, food and beverages and drugstore products. The police did not put an exact figure on the total value of the stolen goods, but spoke of an amount in the “five-figure” range – i.e. at least 10,000 euros.
Among other things, the police searched an apartment on Kranoldstrasse in Neukölln. Drug and weapons detection dogs were also deployed there.
Police dogs were also used during the raid Photo: Spreepicture
The investigators stormed another apartment on Knobelsdorffstrasse (Charlottenburg). Various stolen goods are also said to have been stored there. The SEK was also in action and, according to BZ information, arrested a suspect (32). He is said to be Fadie Rabih, a brother of Nidal Rabih, who was shot at Tempelhofer Feld.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, no other people were arrested during the raid.
Officials search a balcony on Kranoldstrasse in Neukölln Photo: Spreepicture
A car rental shop with an adjacent late-night shop on Treptower Strasse was searched. There, officers confiscated bags and boxes of evidence. There is said to have been coffee among them.