GARDAÍ ARE INVESTIGATING multiple burglary incidents in the Dublin 15 area believed to be carried out by the same gang.

A number of homes in the Castleknock area Dublin were targeted on New Year’s Eve while homes around wider area were also hit in the first days of 2020.

Gardaí believe that the same criminal gang, believed to be from Eastern Europe, have been carrying out the crimes.

One of the robberies was caught on CCTV cameras which were operational in one of the homes.

Video taken from that house shows two men with their faces covered entering the house.

Stills from that incident were shared on social media. The CCTV footage taken from the home shows the two men arriving in a new model Mercedes A Class compact saloon.

A similar car was reported to officers in areas where suspicious activity or attempted burglaries had happened.

Gardaí investigating the burglaries believe that the criminals are using luxury vehicles to try to keep as low a profile as possible in wealthier areas of the capital.

Considering the size of the car being used by the gang, gardaí believe the burglars were targeting smaller items like car keys, jewellery and other portable high value goods.

Gardaí based in north Dublin have been cracking down on burglaries across the region. Resources were allocated to Operation Thor in the area in recent month, which resulted in significant arrests prior to Christmas.

Gardaí said a significant number of Operation Thor checkpoints were conducted throughout December.

Operation Thor is a garda initiative which targets organised crime gangs and repeat offenders.

Officers said the patrols and checkpoints will have prevented burglaries and disrupted the movement of travelling criminals by the seizure of vehicles.

Castleknock was targeted by burglary gangs last year.

In October 2019, a woman had a screwdriver put to her neck by a group of men who targeted her home.

The house belonged to the director of a multinational company. Officers ascertained that the house had been targeted and that a lot of planning had gone into that crime.

Just like the most recent burglaries, jewellery and car keys were the main target for these criminals.

Gardaí based in Blanchardstown are investigating the latest incident.