Two juveniles had been spreading terror in the south suburbs in recent times, allegedly behind a series of looting at peripheral and gas stations.
The suspects are a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old who were targeting mostly stores operating in the midnight and early morning hours. According to the police investigation, the two youths approached the locations on motorcycles, with their faces covered with full-face helmets.
Their modus operandi was specific: one of them stormed the store, threatening the clerk with either a hazer or a battery, while his accomplice remained on guard, holding “lookouts”. They then grabbed the takings from the cash registers, as well as goods from the shelves, before fleeing on the two-wheeler.
The robberies were mainly carried out in the early hours of the morning to avoid the presence of customers and reduce the risk of detection.
Video documents that have come to light and presented by ERTnews document their actions. In one of them, one of the juveniles is seen approaching a kiosk, threatening the clerk with a sharp object, grabbing the takings and then fleeing with his accomplice, who was waiting for him nearby.
Their action came to an end a few days ago, when officers of the Rapid Action Unit spotted them moving on foot in the Alimos area. During the check, they were identified as the perpetrators of the robberies and an operation to immobilise them followed.
During their arrest, the 17-year-old resisted and attacked a police officer, slightly injuring him in the back.
The 16-year-old was found in possession of a handgun, which they used to threaten their victims, as well as the hijab they allegedly used in the robberies.
In addition, during searches conducted at the homes of the two juveniles, police officers located and seized the full faces they wore during their attacks, which they used to make it difficult to identify them.
