Wellingborough burglars jailed for stealing property worth £230,000

The group cost victims almost a quarter of a million pounds
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A group of burglars from Wellingborough have been jailed after committing 41 offences and costing victims more than £230,000.

Alexandru Dumitrescu, 35, his brother Mihail, 27, Romulus Bircea, 49, and Rolls Virag, 41, were operating out of a property in Gordon Road, Wellingborough, when they planned and committed the offences.

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Between October 12 and November 24, 2019, the group committed 16 burglary offences in Cambridgeshire and 25 in Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire.

From top left clockwise: Mihail Dumitrescu, Romulus Bircea, Rolls Virag, Alexandru DumitrescuFrom top left clockwise: Mihail Dumitrescu, Romulus Bircea, Rolls Virag, Alexandru Dumitrescu
From top left clockwise: Mihail Dumitrescu, Romulus Bircea, Rolls Virag, Alexandru Dumitrescu

The four men primarily targeted detached houses and smashed rear windows to get inside and placed furniture in front of doors to stop victims entering if they returned home.

They stole jewellery, cash, alcohol and electronics before fleeing in a silver BMW and green Mazda.

During a burglary in Brackley, Alexandru Dumitrescu and Romulus Bircea assaulted two women who returned home and caught them red handed.

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The men were caught when Bircea was identified as the owner of the Mazda. When he was arrested on November 28 police searched the house in Gordon Road.

They arrested the Dumitrescu brothers at the property and found suspected stolen items.

Virag was wanted in connection to the offences and was arrested in McDonald's in London Road, Wellingborough, where officers also found his BMW.

DC Henry Longhurst, from Cambridgeshire Police, who investigated, said: “The group were orchestrated and picked their targets carefully.

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“However, they weren’t as discrete as they thought as the stacks of evidence we were able to build against them gave them no option but to admit their crimes.

“Tackling burglary remains a priority for the force as part of our ongoing efforts to make the county a safer place to live.”

Investigations produced more evidence to link the four men to the burglaries which cost victims more than £230,000.

Fortunately officers were able to invite victims to view suspected stolen property and lots of items were successfully reclaimed.

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The group were sentenced on Friday, July 3 at Cambridge Crown Court.

Bricea and Alexandru Dumitrescu were jailed for eight years.

Mihail Dumitrescu and Virag were sentenced to five years and four months in prison.

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