Four houses worth £215,000 in total have been stolen by crooks in Sweden, leaving cops baffled at how the burglary occurred.
On Saturday morning, the four mobile homes on wheels vanished from a fenced area within the University of Stockholm where they were being displayed.
The houses weigh around three tonnes each, according to the mobile homes founder Manuel Kohout, who told local media that they only way they can be moved is by being pulled with strong cars.
After waking up on the weekend to the empty spot of where his houses once were, Manuel immediately reported the incident to the police and his company, Vagabond Haven, released a wanted list on Facebook.
Two of the houses were discovered on the day of the theft in Skogas, located around two km south of the university campus.
Four mobile homes were stolen from the University of Stockholm on the weekend. Pictured: One of the homes that was stolen
The homes weigh around three tonnes each and all four are worth a total of £215,000. Pictured: The second home stolen
Two homes were found on Saturday, and the following two were located on Sunday. Pictured: One of the homes that was stolen on the weekend
Police in Stockholm are still on the hunt for a man who was spotted with two of the homes in a parking lot on Sunday. Pictured: The fourth home that was stolen from the university campus
On Sunday, the final two were found in Tungelsta, Haninge, after locals spotted the homes with a man and a broken-down car in a parking lot.
They alerted Manuel, who visited the site with police and retrieved the final two stolen houses.
‘It is absolutely fantastic that the neighborhood was so vigilant,’ a relieved Manuel told Enkoping-Balsta.
All four houses are now back on Manuel’s farm in Orsundsbro and cops have received a description of the man in the parking lot but are yet to make an arrest.
Speaking to local media on the incident, Stockholm police spokesperson Ola Osterling said: ‘I have never heard of this before. Caravans are stolen, but not such large houses on wheels’.
Preliminary investigation leader Jonas Martensson echoed Osterling’s statement, saying: ‘It is common for trailers to be stolen, but not for houses to be stolen.
‘It’s a bit strange. It’s planned, but we don’t really know how it went.
‘The crime classification is aggravated theft and we still have some investigation measures to carry out, such as searching with cameras’.
Following the retrieval of all four homes, Manuel took to Vagabond Haven’s Facebook to thank police and locals for their help
He wrote: ‘Our last two houses were found in Haninge tonight !! They are secured by police and we will soon get them home. We are so excited! Many thanks for all the help we received from all possible places and corners. Eternally grateful’.
Vagabond Haven founder Manuel Kohout thanked the local neighbourhood for being so vigilant after the homes had been retrieved
It comes after a spate of luxury caravan thefts across Scotland in June.
Brazen thieves targeted and stole the vehicles and organised crime gangs broke into secure sites before towing them away.
Some vehicles vanished in just a matter of minutes, with the crooks snatching caravans worth tens of thousands of pounds, sometimes in broad daylight.
In March, Police Scotland warned that owners should take extra security measures as criminals look to cash in on the boom in staycations.
The force said: ‘With more people staying at home this summer, demand for caravans and mobile homes has increased and is likely to lead to a rise in thefts, often by organised gangs.’
In the same month that Police Scotland issued their warning, thieves grabbed a white Swift Sprite Quattro from a yard in Kelso, Roxburghshire, in an early morning raid.
The caravan, which can cost upwards of £20,000, was snatched 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 Superintendent Andrew Patrick, acquisitive crime lead for Police Scotland, said at the time: ‘In recent months, we have seen a number of caravan thefts across the country.
‘Officers have been carrying out inquiries to return the caravans to their owners and bring those responsible to justice.
‘We know that vehicle thefts can have a significant impact on victims, whether it’s through the invasive nature of the offence, or the financial impact it causes.
‘This type of behaviour has no place in our communities and we are committed to disrupting and reducing this criminality.’
