Patra police break up robbery ring

Four suspected members of a robbery ring believed to have used stolen cars to drive through store fronts before robbing valuables were arrested by police in Patra, western Greece, on Saturday.

Acting on a series of tip-offs provided by the local Security Police, officers raided a business in Corinth, where they arrested four men, aged 18, 23, 28 and 30, who are believed to be members of the racket.

According to investigators, the ring members operated chiefly at night, generally using stolen vehicles to break through the metal shutters over store fronts.

Occasionally, the racket members used tools to pry open the shutters.

Most of the break-ins were in Patra and the area of Megara, police said.

The suspects were to face a prosecutor in Patra over the weekend.