A Serbian fifty-something, suspected of having committed numerous burglaries in Switzerland, was arrested in Moselle, hidden in a hideout under the floor of his home, police sources said on Friday.
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In November, the judicial police were informed by his Swiss colleagues that an alleged perpetrator of numerous burglaries perpetrated in Switzerland from 2018 to 2020 for damage of several hundred thousand Swiss francs, could be in Moselle, specified the same sources.
An investigation was opened and the suspect's address was located in the east of the department, a rather dilapidated farmhouse where surveillance was immediately put in place.
Tuesday evening, a man appeared in the house.
The decision was then taken to proceed with his arrest but, at first, the police did not find anyone without seeing someone come out.
It was finally while carrying out a meticulous search of the apartment that, on the first floor, wooden planks were seen hidden by a carpet under which was a trap door.
By raising this trap, the investigators got hold of the wanted individual who had set up a hideout, added these police sources.
The man, aged 51 and of Serbian nationality, was presented to the general prosecutor's office in Metz and imprisoned pending his extradition to Switzerland, which had issued an international arrest warrant against him.
Usually established in the region of Friborg, Switzerland, he appeared to be extremely mobile, taking advantage of the proximity of the German and Luxembourg borders to multiply the comings and goings, and reporting various fanciful identities.
