Irish burglary gang suspect arrested in Australia after ransacking home of 'terrified' teen

An Irish man suspected of being part of an international criminal syndicate of “fly in fly out burglars”  was arrested by Australian police on Tuesday after allegedly ransacking a home with a group of masked men in Melbourne.

Will McDonagh, a 20 year-old Irish man, has been extradited from New South Wales (NSW) to Victoria after a group alleged thieves forced their way into a Melbourne home where a teenage girl was alone at the time.

It is believed that McDonagh, as well as the other suspect currently being sought by police, are part of a wider international syndicate of fly-in, fly-out burglars who are linked to more than 100 home invasions across Melbourne.

Australia's 9News reported that the 17-year-old girl was alone upstairs at a home in Braybrook when alleged thieves stormed the property. Her brother Oliver Sheng said she was "completely terrified" and quickly rang police.

"She was underneath the bedsheets then they just ripped the bedsheets off, took her phone, told her to shut up and stay in the corner," he told 9News.

The alleged thieves went through the place before they took off with her phone and $20,000 (€12,300) in cash kept in lunar new year envelopes.

"Our mum was saving for us since we were younger," Sheng told 9News. "We kind of keep them as like a good luck charm."

The alleged thieves used bleach to cover their tracks, and reportedly crime scene investigators found no evidence at the scene.

They then allegedly travelled north to New South Wales before detectives caught the 20-year-old man.

Will McDonagh was extradited back to Victoria last night while the other suspect, Hughie Buckley, is wanted for questioning by police after allegedly ramming a police car near Newcastle.

"Hughie has connections in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland. He's known to stay at short stay hotels," acting detective senior sergeant Brendan Pollard said.

It's also alleged some of the accused have entered Australia using fake passports and opted to check in face-to-face with customs officers as opposed to going through the automated gates.