Târgovişte man broke into 11 taxis

A 39-year-old man from Dâmbovița county is being investigated after allegedly breaking into 11 parked taxis in Târgoviște over the course of a week, police said on May 16. Investigators said he targeted vehicles used for taxi service and stole cash and mobile phones from inside them. The suspect was detained and was due to be taken before magistrates for a preventive measure, according to local police statements carried by Romanian media. Police said the inquiry was continuing under the supervision of a prosecutor to establish the full scope of the case. ### How did police say the break-ins were carried out? Investigators said the man broke the side windows of taxis that had been parked in Târgoviște. Police statements cited by local outlets said the thefts were committed over roughly one week and focused on cars operating in taxi service. (digi24.ro) The alleged loot included five mobile phones and sums of money ranging from 50 lei to 1,000 lei, according to details published by Incomod Media and other local reports citing the police case file. Digi24 reported that the targets were parked taxis from which cash and phones were taken. (observatorulph.ro) ### What exactly are the accusations against the suspect? Digi24 reported that the man is being investigated for 11 counts of qualified theft. Observatorul Prahovean and dbonline.ro identified the suspect as a 39-year-old man from Dâmbovița county and said police had attributed 11 material acts to him in the file. (digi24.ro) Romanian police use the term “furt calificat,” or qualified theft, for theft cases that involve aggravating circumstances set out in criminal law. In this case, the reports said the allegation centers on repeated break-ins into vehicles rather than confrontations with drivers or passengers. (digi24.ro) ### Where did the thefts happen? Târgoviște, the county seat of Dâmbovița, was identified in all of the reports as the location of the break-ins. The vehicles were described as taxis parked in the municipality rather than cars stopped in service with customers inside. (digi24.ro) Local coverage did not identify the taxi companies involved or list the exact streets where each vehicle was hit. The available reports instead focused on the number of alleged break-ins, the method described by investigators and the items said to have been stolen. (digi24.ro) ### What have authorities said about the next legal step? May 17 was the date cited by local reports for the suspect to be presented before magistrates for a decision on a preventive measure. Police said he had already been detained, while the investigation continued under the coordination of a prosecutor from the prosecutor’s office attached to the Târgoviște court. (digi24.ro) Dâmbovița police said the case remained open as officers worked to determine the suspect’s “entire criminal activity,” according to Digi24’s account of the police statement. The police website search results available publicly did not surface a directly matching current bulletin, but multiple Romanian outlets published substantially the same police account on May 16. (incomod-media.ro) ### What is still not public? Authorities had not publicly named the suspect as of the reports published on May 16. The available accounts also did not state whether any of the stolen phones or cash had been recovered, or whether the suspect had made a statement through a lawyer. (digi24.ro) The next public update was expected from magistrates considering the preventive measure request and from Dâmbovița police or prosecutors if they release additional details on charges, recovered property or court action after May 17. (incomod-media.ro) (digi24.ro)