BRAZEN burglars have switched to targeting footballers when they are home — because it is easier to break in.
The gang has moved away from away day raids when stars were out at matches as they became wary of alarms quickly alerting police and security teams.
A source said: “It’s five or six guys loosely connected to Salford and very professional.
“They used to take down cash vans in the 1990s before it got too difficult.
“They spend ages casing a joint and are not afraid to take a risk if the reward is there.
“They know if they break in when no one is home the modern systems are so good they will only have minutes before the cops or security turn up.
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“But when players are home they don’t have the systems on, so if they can get in, they can spend more time in the house.
“It raises fears that stars will be confronted and get seriously hurt at some point.”
Last week, Liverpool ace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and fiancée Perrie Edwards were at their £3.5million Cheshire home with their son when a gang struck.
EXTRA TERROR
Former Met Police Detective Chief Inspector Mick Neville
ANY burglary is a terrifying thing for anyone to go through but it’s even more so if you are at home when it happens.
Footballers are being targeted by a highly organised gang who are willing to come face-to-face to take what they want.
Home security systems protect properties brilliantly when they are on.
But people don’t set house alarms when they are relaxing with their family.
It brings a real threat that a footballer or their wife or children could be seriously injured because most of the time these robbers are armed with knives.
The thugs, in boiler suits to avoid leaving DNA traces, used a ladder to reach a window.
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The same gang targeted Paul Pogba’s £3.5million mansion in March. The star was playing for Man United but his children and their nanny were home.
The wife of his former United team-mate Victor Lindelof locked herself and their children in a panic room when their home was targeted in January.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
