THE Policia Nacional is investigating whether criminals broke into bank repossessed properties so that they could illegally rent them out.
Two men have been arrested for trespassing and causing damage at a house in the Monte Orgegia area of Alicante.
The Spaniards got in despite a bricked-up front door intended to prevent squatters.
A private security firm spotted them on CCTV cameras before the intruders were able to disable them.
They called the police and patrols found the wife of one of the men sitting in a parked van.
The men, 29 and 59, used an axe and a mace to smash alarms and cameras valued at €800.
They are now being probed over belonging to a wider criminal network who looked to make money out of repossessed properties.