A manhunt is underway after a villa owner was beaten, gagged and tied up during a violent home invasion in Marbella.
The masked men stormed the property in El Trapiche on September 12, but news of the crime only emerged this week.
It came just days after an elderly couple were held at gunpoint inside their home, also in Marbella, reports Diario Sur.
Emergency services were called to the El Trapiche villa, where the injured owner was found in the garden.
The suspects are believed to have assaulted and restrained the man before entering the property and stealing several valuables.
The total value of the stolen items has not been disclosed.
Police patrols arrived quickly and searched the surrounding neighbourhood, but the attackers had already escaped.
The injured man was able to walk to a medical centre, where he received treatment.
No arrests have been announced and the investigation continues.
Elderly couple attacked days earlier
The case followed another violent robbery at a villa in Marbella’s exclusive Nagueles area.
Just days earlier, three intruders reportedly entered the property without forcing a lock and targeted a couple in their 70s.
The victims were separated and held in different rooms, while the woman was threatened at gunpoint and ordered to hand over their belongings.
The gang escaped with a large quantity of cash and high-value jewellery.
Medical workers later treated the woman for an anxiety attack. No arrests have been reported.
The two attacks form part of a wider series of violent incidents that has increased concern over security on the Costa del Sol.
Spain’s Interior Ministry has deployed additional officers under its Plan Costa del Sol, which is intended to combat both organised crime and conventional offences in Malaga and its coastal municipalities.
The operation involves officers from the Public Order Unit, Prevention and Reaction Unit, canine teams and aerial resources.
