Teens arrested following Whangarei burglaries

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Three teenagers were arrested early this morning following a recent spate of burglaries in Whangarei.

The alleged burglars, aged 14 to 16, were disturbed while they were in an elderly couple's Otangarei home about 4am.

Police said the female bravely confronted them, yelling at them to get out of her house and quickly calling 111.

Officers were in the area at the time and a dog unit helped to link them to the scene.

The trio initially denied the burglary until the victim's cellphone rang in one of their pockets.

Police were in the process of linking them to a number of other burglaries.

There had been a recent spate of burglaries, mostly in the Kensington and Otangarei area, in many cases targeting elderly victims as they slept.

The alleged offenders were this morning in police custody ahead of their appearances in court.

Police said they would be opposing bail.