A similar incident of medical equipment theft took place on April 23 at the Center Hospitalier de Luxembourg, where 20 new endoscopes (gastroscopes and colonoscopes) worth more than 800,000 euros were stolen.
Greek police experts say that the thefts are probably the work of a ring that steals medical equipment and sells them in Balkan countries or in Africa, areas where the black market of medical devices is booming.
In the Volos Hospital burglary, one member of the hospital staff who happened to come face to face and talk with one of the perpetrators testified that they were foreigners. The man pretended he was visiting a relative and spoke in English.
In all cases, the burglars focused on gastroenterological clinics and removed gastroscopes, colonoscopes and bronchoscopes worth hundreds of thousands of euros. Police experts appear certain that behind the four incidents lies the same burglar ring. In fact, the parallel investigations of Attica Security and the relevant services in Magnesia, Larissa and Lamia are expected to be centrally coordinated by EL.AS Information Analysis Management Division.
Hellenic Police (EL.AS) has sent a formal request to Interpol asking for information on the repeated cases of medical equipment theft in Greece, a Kathimerini daily report says.