Three pickpockets arrested in Majorca with haul worth €35,000 after robbing tourists
The National Police arrested three members of a travelling pickpocket gang at Palma port as they attempted to leave the island.
Pickpocket gang arrested in Majorca with stolen items worth €35,000
The National Police have arrested three members of a travelling pickpocket gang accused of stealing designer handbags, jewellery, watches and electronic devices totalling €35,000 in Majorca, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
The operation, dubbed 'Operation Trionda', culminated last Tuesday when the suspects were intercepted at Palma port as they attempted to leave the island. Numerous stolen items recovered from previous weeks in tourist areas of the island were found in the vehicle they were using, according to the Superior Police Headquarters of the Balearic Islands.
The three detainees have a combined total of 150 previous arrests for crimes against property, a significant portion of them in Catalonia. The group's main operating area was the rental car collection area of Palma airport, where foreign tourists congregated, particularly those with "Asian features", whom they identified in advance as targets.
Since their arrival in Palma on 29 July, the three men have been implicated in seven thefts committed solely in that airport zone. Their modus operandi consisted of one of them distracting the victims—either by asking them a question or pretending to help them with their luggage—whilst the other two stole their belongings.
The group's travelling nature was a deliberate strategy: they moved between different areas with high tourist numbers to avoid detection and maximise profits. To transport the stolen items away from the island, they made use of courier and parcel companies, sending the accumulated valuable items—luxury handbags, jewellery, watches and electronics—to the mainland.
During the investigation, goods worth more than €35,000 were recovered. Officers continue working to identify their legitimate owners with a view to returning the items to them. The three detainees, all of Algerian origin, were released on the condition of a restraining order prohibiting them from accessing the areas where the thefts occurred. The National Police are aware that the three have already left Majorca.
Source: Majorca Daily Bulletin