Five arrested in Mallorca for stealing luxury watches from tourists in Calvià
The Civil Guard arrested five Algerian men linked to a travelling gang that stole luxury watches valued at €100,000 in Puerto de Andratx and Puerto Portals.
Travelling gang steals luxury watches from tourists in Calvià: five arrested
The Civil Guard has arrested five Algerian men accused of stealing at least three luxury watches worth approximately €100,000 from tourists in Puerto de Andratx and Puerto Portals, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin. Investigators have linked the group to at least four robberies with violence committed between July and August of this year.
Two of those arrested were apprehended last Friday when they allegedly attempted to steal a watch from a customer at a restaurant in Palmanova. During the operation, officers seized two high-end vehicles that they had allegedly used to travel around the island and commit the crimes, as well as €2,000 in cash. Both appeared before a court in Palma on Saturday, and one of them was remanded in custody.
Judicial sources indicated that the suspects had travelled expressly from Barcelona to carry out the robberies.
The three other arrests took place following a robbery in Puerto de Andratx on 15 August. According to the investigation, the gang followed a man who was wearing a Rolex, knocked him down and attacked him to snatch the watch. The woman accompanying him handed over her handbag and her own watch in order to prevent further violence, after which the attackers fled in a vehicle.
The Calvià Investigation Unit traced the car to a hotel in Magaluf. Three suspects attempted to escape when officers approached the vehicle, but were overpowered and arrested. They allegedly provided false identities to hinder their identification.
Investigators linked those arrested both to the vehicle and to the hotel where they were staying, which allowed them to reconstruct their movements following the robbery. The victims subsequently identified those arrested as their alleged assailants.
The authorities described the group as a travelling criminal network specialised in attacking tourists wearing high-value watches. The suspects face charges of robbery with violence, membership in a criminal organisation and use of false documentation.
Source: Majorca Daily Bulletin