Five arrested for stealing wallets from tourists in Mallorca
The National Police have arrested two men and three women of Romanian origin accused of being part of a coordinated theft gang in Palma and surrounding areas. Two of them have been prohibited from entering the island.
Operation against pickpocket gang in Mallorca
According to El Confidencial, the National Police have dismantled a gang dedicated to coordinated theft of wallets and valuable items in Mallorca. Investigators opened an investigation after detecting an increase in thefts in central Palma and the Part Forana, where they located five suspects of Romanian origin who were operating in different points across the island.
The structure of the group operated with specialised roles: one person steals the wallet, another distracts the victim, whilst the rest facilitate the escape or conceal the stolen goods. On numerous occasions, one member would return the wallet with the money removed, making it appear like a casual find that the victim had lost moments earlier. The main targets were tourists and elderly people.
Officers deployed operations in Arenal after recording attempted thefts in the vicinity of Playa de Palma. Four of those arrested were captured during the previous week under accusation of belonging to a criminal group. The fifth was arrested over the weekend at Palma airport, moments before boarding a flight to leave the island.
Investigators verified that most of those detained had previous convictions for similar crimes. One of them also faced a charge of breach of precautionary measures: he had been prohibited from approaching within 300 metres of Playa de Palma but did so repeatedly. After appearing before judicial authorities, two of those arrested received a prohibition on entering Mallorca.
In May, the National Police created the Theft Group, part of the Provincial Brigade of Judicial Police, specialised in combating theft through pickpocketing. The unit is composed of around ten officers who reinforce areas experiencing increases in thefts and pursue specialised itinerant criminal groups, as well as criminals dedicated specifically to pickpocketing.
Source: El Confidencial