Alex Trelinski
A ROMANIAN couple have been arrested in Denia after stealing bank cards from elderly people and clocking up transactions of €10,853.
The Policia Nacional said there were five victims aged between 64 and 88 years.
The man, 31, and woman, 36, operated in shopping malls in Alzira, Benidorm, Denia and Alicante.
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They picked their targets inside stores and looked for people making purchases of over €50 which meant they had to input their card PIN number at a terminal.
One of the duo would sneak up next to the terminal without attracting suspicion and memorise the secret number.
They then followed their victim and set up a distraction to steal their wallet.
With the bank card in their possession and knowing the PIN, they made cash withdrawals at ATMs and purchases of gift cards or high-value products in different stores.
They travelled to shopping areas in rental vehicles, making it difficult to identify and find them.
The Policia Nacional launched a special operation to catch the couple and found their latest rental car close to a Denia shopping area.
They were intercepted and arrested as they hastily left the mall.
Among their belongings was a recently stolen bank card, around €1,000 in cash, gift cards from various shops and clothes they used to change their appearance.
Officers said the detainees acted with skill and coordination, entering shops in broad daylight, and occasionally splitting up so as not to arouse suspicion as they chose especially vulnerable victims.
The couple had no criminal record.
