Arrested for stealing more than 450 metres of pipes in Elche

The National Police have arrested a 41-year-old man in Elche (Alicante) for allegedly committing the crimes of continuous theft, damage and destruction by stealing gas pipes from private buildings and installations on public roads up to 23 times, putting residents and passersby in danger.

The police investigation started after a complaint was made at the Elche Police Station in late October 2025. A group of residents in the Elche neighbourhood of Carrús said that about 50 metres of gas pipe had been stolen from the roof of the building, according to a statement from the National Police.

The victim said that 30 metres had been stolen at first, but when the hired technician went to fix the stolen pipes, they found out that another 20 metres had been stolen in that short amount of time.

Days later, a second complaint was made concerning the theft of gas pipes from another neighbouring building. The thief took roughly seven metres of pipes, which caused a gas leak that required the Elche fire department to come out because of the risk of an explosion.

The officers started an inquiry in reaction to these instances, doing a number of inspections to find out “as soon as possible” who was responsible for these robberies. Each one put the inhabitants’ physical safety at risk of explosion or deflagration.

More complaints added

Even so, further reports of gas pipe thefts came in during the investigation. These thefts happened in both private buildings and gas facilities on public highways.

In the weeks that followed, people made more complaints. There were eight installations in houses where gas pipes were stolen and 15 installations on public highways, from which more than 450 metres of pipes were stolen.

Finally, the police found the 41-year-old man they thought was behind the thefts. He sold all the stolen copper pipes to organisations that recover and recycle metals. He was really carrying a few pipes he had taken during one of his robberies when they found him.

Also, the agents checked and found that the paint on the seized pipes matched that of the facades or terraces where gas pipes had been taken. This meant that these sectioned pipes most likely came from one of the places where the thefts happened.

The agents have confirmed during the investigation that the detainee made about 1,500 euros from selling all the stolen copper pipes. This is typical: the criminals make a “tiny profit” compared to the “substantial damage” they do to the victims. For example, the damage to the installations on public roads alone costs more than 33,000 euros.

Also, the large-scale utilisation of public resources, including police and firefighters, has made the damage done by the criminal much worse. After the police finished their work, the detainee was sent to see the duty magistrate in Elche.