They set it ablaze to destroy evidence of their work
In the autumn of 2025, three men with deep knowledge of the automotive trade turned their expertise toward systematic theft across Granada province, stealing vehicles and stripping them for parts on commission. The Civil Guard's Operation Molkas traced the web of crimes back to a single stolen tow truck — the instrument that made everything else possible. Their arrest reminds us that specialized knowledge, when divorced from ethical grounding, can become a tool of quiet but far-reaching harm to ordinary working people and their livelihoods.
- A stolen tow truck became the master key to an entire criminal enterprise, allowing the trio to haul away unattended vehicles from repair shops across the province with alarming efficiency.
- The men operated like a black-market auto parts business — stealing vehicles to order, dismantling them in hidden locations, and selling components to private buyers and scrap dealers throughout Granada.
- The burning of a stripped vehicle in Dúrcal revealed the operation's darker edge: evidence was being deliberately destroyed, raising the stakes from theft to arson.
- A chance arrest by the National Police in Motril cracked the case open, giving Civil Guard investigators the final link needed to connect the scattered incidents and identify all three suspects.
- All three men have been brought before a Granada court and released under investigation, while most stolen vehicles and equipment have been recovered — though the full accounting is not yet closed.
En septiembre de 2025, tres hombres de entre 35 y 45 años pusieron en marcha una red de robos coordinados en la provincia de Granada, aprovechando su conocimiento del sector del automóvil para actuar con precisión quirúrgica. La Guardia Civil, bajo el nombre de Operación Molkas, los ha llevado ante el juez por cargos que van desde el robo hasta el incendio provocado.
Todo comenzó con la sustracción de una grúa en un desguace de Churriana de la Vega. Ese vehículo se convirtió en el eje de la operación: con él trasladaban coches robados en talleres de toda la provincia hasta lugares apartados, donde los desguazaban para vender las piezas por encargo a particulares y chatarreristas. El negocio funcionaba a la carta: el cliente pedía un componente concreto y los tres hombres robaban el vehículo necesario para obtenerlo.
La investigación fue tomando forma a partir de imágenes de cámaras de seguridad, avisos de ciudadanos y observaciones policiales. El punto de inflexión llegó cuando la Policía Nacional detuvo a dos de los tres sospechosos mientras intentaban robar un vehículo en Motril con el mismo método. Esa detención permitió a la Guardia Civil conectar los distintos incidentes e identificar al tercer implicado.
Uno de los episodios reveló la frialdad del grupo: tras desguazar un vehículo en Dúrcal, le prendieron fuego para eliminar cualquier rastro. Solo quedó la carrocería calcinada. Los tres detenidos han sido puestos a disposición del juzgado de instrucción de Granada y quedaron en libertad con cargos. La mayor parte de los vehículos y equipos robados fue recuperada, aunque algunos objetos siguen sin aparecer.
In September, three men between 35 and 45 years old orchestrated a coordinated theft operation across Granada province, targeting vehicles parked at repair shops and equipment stored in scrapyards. The Civil Guard, working under the operation name Molkas, has now brought them before a judge on charges ranging from arson to theft and attempted theft.
The scheme began with the theft of a tow truck from a salvage yard in Churriana de la Vega. That same location yielded other vehicles, a trailer, and various tools and valuable items. But the tow truck was the key to everything that followed. The three men, all with automotive repair expertise, had devised a method: use the stolen truck to haul away vehicles that sat unattended in the lots surrounding mechanics' shops throughout the province. Once relocated to secluded spots, they would strip the vehicles for parts—engines, chassis components, electrical systems—and sell them piecemeal to private buyers or to scrap dealers operating in the Granada area. The work was done on commission; customers would request specific parts, and the men would steal the vehicles needed to obtain them.
The operation unraveled when investigators from the Civil Guard's Roca team in Armilla began connecting a series of thefts and damage reports. Surveillance footage from security cameras at various shops and yards provided crucial visual evidence. Witness accounts and patrol observations added detail. Then came a break: the National Police had already detained two of the three men after they attempted to steal a vehicle near a repair shop in Motril using the same method. That arrest, combined with the Civil Guard's accumulated evidence, allowed investigators to link the incidents and identify all three suspects.
One incident stood out for its brutality. After stripping a vehicle of its valuable components in the municipality of Dúrcal, the men set it ablaze—a deliberate act to destroy evidence of their work. The burned-out shell was all that remained.
Working with the Civil Guard's investigation unit in Armilla, officers located and arrested all three men and brought them before the Granada instruction court. The judge released them on charges, meaning they remain under investigation but are not in custody. Investigators recovered a substantial portion of the stolen vehicles and equipment, though some items remain unaccounted for. The operation demonstrates how a single piece of stolen equipment—in this case, a tow truck—can become the linchpin of a larger criminal enterprise, and how coordination between law enforcement agencies can dismantle it.
Citas Notables
They coordinated to steal vehicles by order, extract specific parts, and resell them for profit to private buyers and scrap dealers— Civil Guard statement
They carried one vehicle to a hidden area and burned it to conceal evidence of the crime after removing chassis and engine parts— Civil Guard investigation summary
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why target repair shops specifically? Wouldn't a scrapyard be easier to rob?
A scrapyard has security, inventory systems, people watching. But a repair shop? Vehicles sit in the lot for days while owners wait for work. They're vulnerable, and the location is known.
And the tow truck—was that the first theft, or did they steal it to enable the rest?
It was the first. They took it from the salvage yard in Churriana. Once they had it, they had mobility. They could move vehicles without drawing attention. A tow truck on the road is invisible.
The burning of the vehicle in Dúrcal—was that panic, or calculation?
Calculation. They'd stripped it completely. The burned shell couldn't be traced back to a specific owner or job. Fire destroys forensic evidence. It's a deliberate step in the operation, not a mistake.
How did the National Police arrest fit in?
Two of the three were caught attempting a theft in Motril. That arrest gave the Civil Guard a thread to pull. Once they had those two identified, they could connect them to the broader pattern—the surveillance footage, the witness statements, the other thefts.
What happens to them now?
They're released on charges, which means they're free but under investigation. The judge will decide whether to prosecute. The recovered vehicles and parts will be returned to their owners, or to the scrapyard if that's where they came from.