Four temples in the municipalities of Los Realejos and La Orotava have been robbed since last Sunday night. It is the church of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, in Palo Blanco; in the chapel of La Cruz del Castaño and in the hermitage of La Milagrosa, in the La Ferruja neighborhood, all of them in the municipal district of the realejero, to which is added the parish of San Isidro Labrador and Santa María de la Cabeza, in the town Orotavense de Benijos.
The mode of operation is the same in all cases. It consists of breaking a window of the temple to access its interior, where they recorded the search for money by turning the rooms and breaking some elements and / or stealing some of them.
The most striking case is that registered in the church of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, in Palo Blanco. Located in a dark environment, a neighbor heard the noise of the breaking of the window glass through which the thieves entered, who desecrated the tabernacle, made of bronze. It was found in an orchard located a few meters from the temple and damaged when forcing it. The thieves are supposed to have mistaken it for a piggy bank. The tabernacle will be repaired and the act of reparation will take place today.
During the early hours of Tuesday to Wednesday, another two of the four robberies were recorded: in the chapel of La Cruz del Castaño, in Los Realejos, and in the parish of San Isidro Labrador and Santa María de la Cabeza, in Benijos (La Orotava). . In both cases, they break windows again to enter these enclosures and leave more relevant signals of your efforts to find money. They looted cabinets, stole piggy banks and even stole a portable chapel (where they transfer the image of the Virgin for temporary shelter in private homes), from which they broke the box located at its base.
The last of the robberies registered in this wave that affects the temples of Los Realejos and La Orotava took place during the early hours of Wednesday to Thursday. The entrance to the hermitage of La Milagrosa, in the royal neighborhood of La Ferruja, was also made by breaking a window. They took money from inside (50 euros), they turned everything around and took some decorative objects.
The National Police of Puerto de la Cruz is responsible for investigating these events, once the corresponding complaints submitted from the affected parishes and by groups linked to these churches have been received. The Scientific Police were transferred to them.
It so happens that these robberies coincide with others that have been registered in private homes in this environment in recent weeks, as confirmed by councilor José David Cabrera Martín, councilor for Fiestas and Youth of Los Realejos.
