Five suspects arrested during investigation into rogue plumbers

Five suspects were arrested last week in connection with an investigation into rogue plumbers, the police reported on Wednesday. The suspects are two men aged 35, and two women aged 27 from Eindhoven and Rotterdam, and one 23-year-old from Weert.

The suspects would work emergency cases but would either not perform the work or do it “very poorly,” before charging the customer extremely high fees. Victims were also often pressured into paying the fee immediately.

When the bill was paid, “the plumbers disappeared without a trace and were unreachable after this,” the police stated.

During the arrests, two expensive cars, high-value jewelry, a crypto wallet, and cash were seized. Bank accounts with plenty of funds were also seized. The investigation began in September 2024.

“By confiscating criminally acquired assets and/or valuables, criminals are hit where they hurt, namely in their wallets. This means they do not benefit from their actions, and it is made clear that crime does not pay,” the police statement read.

The women in this case have been released but remain suspects, while the three men are still under arrest.

Police advise people to never call a service provider without a clear pre-agreed price. They also added that people are advised against clicking the first Google advertisement they see and that people should always check whether the company is signed into the Chamber of Commerce and has real reviews.