Two men detained over garage and construction-site thefts in Liepāja

State Police in Latvia have wrapped up a criminal investigation into a series of thefts in Liepāja that targeted private garages and an under-construction building.

Garage break-in

In late March, police received a report of a break-in at a garage on Nākotnes iela. Officers who responded detained a man nearby who was burning wiring stolen from the garage. The investigation later showed he had not acted alone, and a second suspect was detained afterward.

The garage, which actually consisted of two combined units, was found to be missing more than 40 items, including a cordless drill, an angle grinder, a rotary hammer, an electric router and drill bit sets. Most of the stolen items have since been recovered. The break-in also damaged the wooden door and lock, causing about 50 euros in damage. The total value of stolen and damaged property from the garage exceeds 3,000 euros, though after recovery the victims' actual unrecovered loss is estimated at over 1,000 euros.

Investigators believe the man detained at the scene had likely carried out a similar theft from another garage the day before.

Theft at a construction site

The second detained man is believed to be linked to a theft at an unfinished building, where intruders smashed a door's glass panel to get inside and stole a television, a candlestick, and kitchen and shower faucets. The break-in also damaged a triple-glazed terrace door (over 190 euros in damage) as well as a heat pump unit and its copper piping (over 1,700 euros in damage).

What's next

Police have completed proceedings against both men: one faces charges over the garage theft on Nākotnes iela and the construction-site theft, while the other faces charges over thefts from two garages. Both remain in custody.

Under Latvia's Criminal Law, theft from a storage facility carries a penalty of up to five years' imprisonment or other sanctions. Police note that no person is considered guilty until proven so under the law.