Four suspects who are believed to be involved in a network of thefts from big-box stores in Quebec and Ontario were apprehended on Wednesday by the Montreal Police Service.
Four men between the ages of 43 and 57 were arrested by the SPVM on Wednesday in relation to sophisticated thefts from big box stores and jewelry stores in the past two years, the SPVM said in a statement. These thefts occurred in Montreal, Lachute and Ottawa.
Other businesses elsewhere in Quebec or Ontario could, however, have been robbed by the same network of thieves. The SPVM asks for the public’s cooperation for any information relating to this investigation.
Their modus operandi of the network was similar on each theft: first, entering the targeted businesses by sophisticated means, in the evening or at night. Then, focus on high-value items and safes to come out with “significant amounts of money, jewelry and merchandise,” says the SPVM.
The four men were charged and released on a promise to appear.
The SPVM’s Eastern Criminal Investigations Section conducted the investigation in collaboration with several units. Searches were carried out in particular in Mirabel, Mille-Isles and Saint-Colomban.
Since this network of thieves could be responsible for other break-ins, the SPVM asks anyone with information to contact 911 or their neighborhood station. It is also possible to contact Info-Crime Montreal confidentially at 514-393-1133, or on the website.
