Mechelen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Mechelen-Zuid business park experienced a break-in search that led to the detention of six male suspects. Law enforcement officials apprehended the suspects right away following the burglary.
Mechelen police apprehended six men aged 23 to 35 for suspected participation in the break-in at Mechelen-Zuid industrial estate. Authorities confronted the suspects right after the crime happened while finding burglary instruments, including saws, drills and pliers, inside their vehicle. The arrests came after Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology flagged a French-registered automobile during a break-in on the business park throughout the previous week.
On Tuesday evening, the Rivierenland police zone got an ANPR notification concerning a French plate vehicle that was detected at a burglary site on Sunday night. Police observed the same vehicle travelling through Kruislaan in Mechelen. Law enforcement officers maintained surveillance of the vehicle while it moved through Molenweide and then Europalaan in its journey toward the E19 highway. Officials detected a vehicle with British license plates, which they thought belonged to the suspects.
“Our colleagues followed the car that was going via the Molenweide and the Europalaan towards the E19. They had the impression that a car with a British number plate belonged to the car. The two vehicles were pulled over on the B101 and checked,”
Said Dirk Van de Sande of the local police.
The cars contained 6 men between the ages of 23 and 35.
“They gave an incoherent story for their presence in the region. They were taken to the police station and made available to the public prosecutor’s office.”
“It is not yet clear what exactly was stolen during the burglary. That is part of the investigation. We also need to find out what their role was in the burglary and whether the suspects can be linked to multiple burglaries,”
Van de Sande concludes.
What is the background of burglars in Mechelen?
Burglaries strike Mechelen intermittently, and the main incidents take place within the industrial zone of the Mechelen-Zuid business park in the Flemish region of Belgium. These locations become specific targets because they house valuable belongings. Belgian police now use ANPR technology as an essential tracking device to monitor individuals who drive foreign vehicles.
The last few years have demonstrated an uptick in border-crossing criminal operations despite suspects being detected for performing multiple thefts across different areas. Active prevention against these criminal activities is a primary focus of the Rivierenland police zone that manages Mechelen territory and strengthens organised burglary network response through partnership collaboration with surrounding law enforcement agencies.
