Suspect detained after theft of gold chain in Fuengirola through telephone deception
A man was robbed in Fuengirola after two thieves asked to borrow his mobile phone using an urgent call as a pretext. Police arrested a suspect and recovered the stolen jewellery.
Violent robbery in Fuengirola following mobile phone ruse
According to The Olive Press, a tourist was robbed of his gold chain at a resort on the Costa del Sol after two criminals approached him pretending they urgently needed to use his mobile phone.
When the couple was approached at around 4:30 in the morning in Fuengirola, one of the assailants lunged at the victim and tore a chain with a pendant from his neck. The victim attempted to defend himself whilst a passer-by who came to his aid was unable to stop the robbery.
The couple headed to Fuengirola's Local Police station to report the attack. Officers attended the scene, where they found both the victim and the witness who had attempted to intervene.
According to the officers, the two men had repeatedly insisted on borrowing the couple's mobile phone under the pretext of making an urgent call. One of them suddenly snatched the jewellery and fled the scene.
A search was launched with the involvement of officers from the National Police alongside the Local Police. Following identification by the victim, a suspect was detained and taken to the station for questioning. He was subsequently handed over to the National Police on suspicion of violent robbery. Police managed to recover the jewellery that had been stolen during the operation.
The incident comes months after the Civil Guard dismantled a travelling gang accused of targeting elderly and vulnerable people in Málaga, Valencia, Alicante and Murcia. The four suspects employed what is known as the "affectionate embrace", approaching victims with a friendly greeting or pretext to get close before fleeing with their jewellery. They were linked to 31 alleged crimes across the four provinces, including eight violent robberies and 13 thefts in Málaga alone. The four were remanded in custody.
Source: The Olive Press