By ANEEKA SIMONIS
A PAKENHAM youth was among the four taken into custody over a string of morning burglaries carried out using a car alleged to have been stolen from Officer.
The dog squad, investigators and uniform police officers were called in to capture the youths, but one is still on the run.
Three homes in Blackburn, Park Orchards and Mitcham were targeted, between 7.55am and 9.50am on Thursday 4 August, by offenders who allegedly drove one victim from his home to an ATM and forced him to withdraw and hand over sums of cash.
Detectives from Manningham Crime Investigation Unit observed the five offenders in a stolen red Ford sedan near the Burwood Highway following the string of offences.
A search involving the Police Airwing, the Dog Squad, Eastern Region Crime Squad detectives and uniform police commenced in the Rowville and Wantirna areas.
Police said the Ford sedan, which had allegedly been stolen from Fairwood Rise in Officer was located abandoned in Ellerton Square, Wantirna South.
Four men were arrested nearby and police are still searching for the fifth offender.
The four offenders, three 18-year-olds from Frankston, Pakenham and Dandenong North and a 16-year-old Springvale youth, are currently being interviewed in relation to the burglaries.
Two of the three homes had people present at the time of the burglaries.
Police have formed specialised taskforces in response to the jump in aggravated burglaries and carjackings occurring across the state.
Operation Cosmas target high risk locations day and night and have so far made more than 120 arrests since forming in May.
Eastern Region Crime Squad Detective Senior Sergeant Sean Audley said: “We have plans and resources in place to quickly respond to this type of offending”.
“These arrests are the result of a number of specialised units and uniform police working together to reduce the number of aggravated burglaries being committed in the eastern suburbs.”
The burglaries occurred at homes in Alva Grove, Park Orchards, Almondsbury Court, Blackburn and Creek Road, Mitcham.
