Alex Trelinski
A bag snatching gang preying on elderly people has been arrested in the Valencia area.
The five-strong crew operated across Spain and have been charged with 106 robberies and withdrawing over €75,000 in cash from stolen bank cards.
Valencia’s Guardia Civil launched Operation Mavipa in October after a victim was sitting at a Alcasser terrace when her purse was stolen and her bank cards used to withdraw €1,000.
The car used by the gang was identified with the help of the Alcasser Policia Local, and had been spotted close to identical robberies in different parts of the country.
The group travelled around Spain to reduce the chances of being caught and were well-organised- taking their own security seriously and using false identification papers to hinder police investigations.
Four addresses were raided in unspecified locations which allowed many of the stolen items to be recovered including €5,270 in cash: 30 mobile phones; two tablets and numerous watches, wallets, bags, sunglasses and jewellery.
Four woman and a man- of undeclared nationalities- have been charged with committing 106 thefts, 26 frauds, belonging to a criminal group, and the falsification of a public document.
READ MORE:
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- Elderly people withdrawing large cash amounts from banks robbed by men who spied on them on Spain’s Costa Blanca
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