Two 21-year-olds have been charged with breaking into the homes of four elderly women in Huskvarna, Sweden. One of the suspects was arrested in Germany and brought back to Sweden. Samnytt can provide further details about the perpetrators.

The duo’s robbery spree took place in late December and early January. Initially, several people were arrested on suspicion of involvement, but they were later released.

The two 21-year-olds who have now been charged have been held in custody since 23 January and 13 February respectively.

According to Public Prosecutor Viktor Wetterö, investigators early in the inquiry checked with various search engine companies whether anyone had searched for the victims’ addresses in connection with the crimes. The results enabled investigators to identify two addresses of interest, which could subsequently be linked to the accused.

In one case, the two broke into a woman’s home at night and used violence by pushing her, twisting and restraining her arms and wrists, and striking her before stealing jewellery and other property. The assault caused the woman bruising and skin injuries.

The offence is regarded as aggravated because the suspected perpetrators displayed particular brutality or ruthlessly exploited the victim’s vulnerable position.

In another case, the two entered the home of an 85-year-old woman by pretending to be parcel delivery workers. In addition to assaulting the victim, the duo forced a piece of cloth and stones or similar objects into or against her mouth, placed cable ties around her wrists and ankles, and delivered blows to her face, causing pain, bruising and redness. Several serious threats were also made.

They also cut open the woman’s clothes and underwear, touched her body and genitals, and attempted to force stones or similar objects into her genital area. The woman was locked in a room and forced to swallow an unknown liquid and log into her bank account. The incident is classified as attempted aggravated rape or aggravated sexual assault.

Samnytt reports that two 21-year-old men are now being prosecuted, one bearing a Muslim name and the other a Swedish name – both Swedish citizens, one of whom was born in Somalia – on charges of two counts of attempted aggravated robbery, two counts of aggravated robbery, and attempted aggravated rape.

“The four injured parties in this case are single women, all over 80 years of age. We see a common thread throughout the investigation: the offences were systematic and planned, and the accused gradually developed their methods,” said Senior Prosecutor Jessica Andersson.

Erik Lindblad, Assistant Local Police Chief in Southern Vätterbygden, described the operation as particularly challenging.

“For a longer period than normal, we worked around the clock to identify, locate and arrest the perpetrators. This had to be done under fairly strict confidentiality in order not to hinder the manhunt, while at the same time we wanted to prevent further robberies from being committed and maintain public safety in Huskvarna. I am very pleased that we succeeded despite complex circumstances,” Lindblad stated.

The evidence is based on extensive investigative material, including forensic examinations and material obtained through covert coercive measures. Among the evidence is a video clip on a mobile telephone showing one of the accused listening to a news report on Swedish Radio about the robberies. The same individual also filmed himself talking about the stolen goods he had obtained.

In other video clips, the two young men discussed dissatisfaction with their employment situation and their desire to acquire money.