Four homes worth a total of £215,000 have been stolen by criminals in Sweden, leaving police wondering how the break-in happened.
On Saturday morning, the four mobile homes on wheels disappeared from a fenced-in area at Stockholm University where they were on display.
According to the founder of the mobile homes, Manuel Kohout, the homes weigh around three tons each. He told local media that they can only be moved by pulling them with powerful cars.
When Manuel woke up last weekend to find his homes empty, he immediately reported the incident to the police. His company, Vagabond Haven, then posted a wanted list on Facebook.
Two of the homes were discovered on the day of the theft in Skogas, about two kilometers south of the university campus.
Four mobile homes were stolen from Stockholm University last weekend. Pictured: One of the stolen homes
The houses each weigh around three tonnes and all four are worth a combined £215,000. Pictured: The second stolen house
Two homes were found on Saturday, and the next two were found on Sunday. Pictured: One of the homes stolen over the weekend
Police in Stockholm are still hunting for a man who was spotted with two of the houses in a parking lot on Sunday. Pictured: the fourth house stolen from the university campus
The last two were found on Sunday in Tungelsta, Haninge, after local residents spotted the houses with a man and a broken down car in a parking lot.
They alerted Manuel, who went to the location with the police and recovered the last two stolen houses.
“It’s absolutely fantastic that the neighborhood was so vigilant,” said a relieved Manuel Enkoping-Balsta.
All four houses on Manuel’s farm in Orsundsbro are now back in place and police have received a description of the man in the parking lot, but have not yet made an arrest.
Speaking to local media about the incident, Stockholm police spokesperson Ola Osterling said: “I’ve never heard of this before. Caravans get stolen, but not such big houses on wheels.”
The leader of the preliminary investigation, Jonas Martensson, agreed with Osterling’s statement: ‘It is common for trailers to be stolen, but not for houses to be stolen.
“It’s a bit strange. It was planned, but we don’t really know how it happened.
‘The crime classification is aggravated robbery and we still have to carry out a number of investigative measures, such as searching the home with cameras’.
After all four homes were recovered, Manuel took to Vagabond Haven’s Facebook to thank the police and locals for their help
He wrote: ‘Our last two houses were found tonight in Haninge!! They are secured by the police and we will get them home soon. We are so excited! Thank you so much for all the help we got from all possible places and corners. Eternally grateful.’
Vagabond Haven founder Manuel Kohout thanked the neighborhood for their vigilance after the homes were recovered
This follows a series of thefts of luxury caravans in Scotland in June.
Brazen thieves targeted the vehicles and stole them. Organized crime broke into secure locations and then towed the vehicles away.
Some vehicles were gone within minutes, with the crooks stealing caravans worth tens of thousands of pounds, sometimes in the middle of the day.
In March, Scottish police warned that homeowners should take extra security measures as criminals sought to capitalise on the increase in domestic holidays.
Police said: ‘With more people staying at home this summer, demand for caravans and campervans has increased. This is likely to lead to an increase in thefts, often by organised gangs.’
In the same month that Scottish police issued a warning, thieves stole a white Swift Sprite Quattro from a garden in Kelso, Roxburghshire, in the early hours of the morning.
The caravan, which can cost more than £20,000, was taken by two men who attached it to their BMW and towed it away.
Meanwhile, husband and wife Mark and Kaylie Corrieri from Stirling lost their beloved £9,000 Swift Sterling Europa 600 on April 5.
Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Patrick, head of acquisition crime at Police Scotland, said at the time: “Over the past few months we have seen a number of caravan thefts across the country.
‘Officers have launched an investigation to return the caravans to their owners and bring those responsible to justice.
‘We know that car thefts can have a major impact on victims, whether due to the serious nature of the offence or the financial consequences.
“This type of behavior has no place in our communities and we are committed to combating and reducing this crime.”