Four houses worth £215,000 have been burgled by criminals in Sweden, leaving police baffled as to how the theft happened.
On Saturday morning, the four mobile homes on wheels disappeared from a fenced compound inside Stockholm University where they were on display.
The houses weigh around three tons each, according to the founder of the mobile homes, Manuel Kohout, who told local media that the only way they can be moved is by towing them with strong vehicles.
After waking up over the weekend to the empty spot where his homes once stood, Manuel immediately reported the incident to police and his company, Vagabond Haven, posted a wanted list on Facebook.
Two of the houses were discovered on the day of the robbery in Skogas, located about two kilometers south of the university campus.
Four mobile homes were burglarized at Stockholm University over the weekend. Pictured: one of the burglarized homes
The houses weigh around three tonnes each and the four are worth a total of £215,000. Pictured: The second house burgled
Two houses were found on Saturday and the next two were located on Sunday. Pictured: one of the houses that was burglarized over the weekend
Stockholm police are still searching for a man who was seen with two of the burglarized houses in a parking lot on Sunday. Pictured: the fourth burglarized house on the university campus
On Sunday, the last two were found in Tungelsta, Haninge, after locals saw the houses with a man and a broken-down car in a parking lot.
They alerted Manuel, who visited the place with the police and recovered the last two robbed houses.
“It’s absolutely fantastic that the neighborhood was so alert,” Manuel said, relieved. Enkoping Balsta.
The four houses are now back on Manuel’s farm in Orsundsbro and police have received a description of the man in the parking lot, but have not yet made any arrests.
Speaking to local media about the incident, Stockholm police spokesman Ola Osterling said: “I’ve never heard of this before. Caravans are stolen, but not such big houses on wheels.”
Jonas Martensson, head of the preliminary investigation, echoed Osterling’s statement, saying: “It is common for trailers to be stolen, but not for houses to be stolen.
“It’s a bit strange. It was planned, but we don’t really know how it turned out.”
‘The crime is aggravated theft and we still have some investigative steps to carry out, such as searches with cameras.’
Following the recovery of all four homes, Manuel took to Vagabond Haven’s Facebook to thank police and locals for their help.
He wrote: ‘Our last two houses were found in Haninge tonight! The police have secured them and we will be bringing them home soon. We are so excited! Thank you so much for all the help we have received from all possible places and corners. Eternally grateful.’
Vagabond Haven founder Manuel Kohout thanked the local neighborhood for being so attentive after the homes were recovered.
This comes after a spate of luxury caravan thefts in Scotland in June.
Brazen thieves targeted and stole the vehicles and organised crime gangs broke into secure locations before towing them away.
Some vehicles disappeared within minutes and thieves stole caravans worth tens of thousands of pounds, sometimes in broad daylight.
In March, Police Scotland warned that property owners should take extra security measures as criminals look to cash in on the staycation boom.
The force said: “With more people staying at home this summer, demand for caravans and mobile homes has increased and is likely to lead to an increase in thefts, often by organised gangs.”
The same month Police Scotland issued its warning, thieves seized a white Swift Sprite Quattro from a yard in Kelso, Roxburghshire, in an early morning raid.
The caravan, which can be worth more than £20,000, was stolen by two men who tied it to their BMW and towed it away.
Meanwhile, husband and wife team Mark and Kaylie Corrieri, from Stirling, lost their beloved £9,000 Swift Sterling Europa 600 on April 5.
Detective Superintendent Andrew Patrick, Police Scotland’s acquisitive crime officer, said at the time: ‘Over the past few months we have seen a number of caravan burglaries across the country.
Officers have been carrying out investigations to return the caravans to their owners and bring those responsible to justice.
We know that vehicle theft can have a significant impact on victims, whether due to the invasive nature of the crime or the financial impact it causes.
“This type of behavior has no place in our communities and we are committed to disrupting and reducing this criminality.”