Staff Reporter
A MIDDLE-AGED man in Marbella has become the latest victim of watch-stealers, after a pair of thieves made off with his Rolex on Wednesday as he was getting out of his car.
The incident took place outside the Azalea shopping mall in the Costa del Sol city, and saw the victim, a tourist who was reported as not being Spanish, left on the ground after a struggle with the criminals.
The thieves were reported to be aged between 20 and 30 years old, and made their escape on a moped.
While the police managed to get the licence plate of the vehicle, the authorities suspect that it may have been stolen for the purpose of carrying out robberies.
Read more: Gang of Rolex muggers arrested in Ibiza
Sources speaking to online daily Malaga Hoy were unable to place a value on the lost timepiece, but a Rolex can cost anywhere between €10,000 and €100,000.
Watch thieves have been such an issue in Marbella in recent years that the Policia Nacional has created a task force called Equipo Rolex (Team Rolex), a group of officers who specialise in combatting the thefts.
The gangs usually operate in traffic jams, with the moped rider deliberately clipping the wing mirror of the target’s vehicle.
When the target reaches out to check the damage with their hand, an accomplice will try to wrest the watch off their wrist.
As well as Marbella, Barcelona is also a hotspot for such watch thieves. In February, a man was arrested in the Catalan capital after allegedly using a knife to try to rob two men who were wearing Rolexes.
That same month, a man walked into 99 Sushi Bar in Barcelona and stole a €14,000 Rolex from a diner at gunpoint.
