Gardaí arrest three in Westmeath following Sligo house burglary

Large-scale operation sees men stopped in car near Kinnegad

A house burglary in Co Sligo yesterday ended with the arrest of three men following a Garda operation.

On Thursday afternoon gardaí received a call about a house alarm going off in the Collooney area of Sligo.

When they arrived at the house, gardaí found the burglars still there, but the intruders escaped by car.

Descriptions were circulated nationally as part of Operation Thor, the ongoing Garda anti-burglary initiative that focuses on organised criminals who use the State’s motorways.

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A large-scale operation was implemented, including a Garda special crime unit and support from the Garda helicopter.

Shortly before 5pm gardaí, with support from the air unit, stopped a car on the M4 near Kinnegad, Co Westmeath, and arrested the three occupants on suspicion of burglary.

The men, aged in their 20s and 30s, are being held at Ballymote Garda station for questioning where they can be detained for up to 24 hours.

Conor Gallagher

Conor Gallagher

Conor Gallagher is Crime and Security Correspondent of The Irish Times