POLICE have arrested a 26-year-old man who used a fake gun to rob two couples outside Alicante’s Santa Barbara castle.
He was detained outside a second-hand goods shop in the city.
In the first incident a man and woman walking to the fortress were told to hand over a bag while he brandished the gun.
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One of the victims realised the weapon was bogus and refused to comply.
The robber hit him on the head with the fake gun with such force that the weapon broke.
He then helped himself to some items and fled the scene.
The couple needed medical centre treatment with the male victim getting six stitches in the head and three in the elbow.
The robber then went on a spending spree using the stolen contactless bank cards to buy low-cost items so that the PIN number would not be requested.
He then struck again when a couple were sitting on a bench on the same Santa Barbara walkway.
Once more, he intimidated his victims with the fake pistol and they handed over their mobile phones and cash.
The robber then pulled the trigger and with there being no shot, the couple realised it was an imitation gun and tried to stop him- but yet again he fled.
The Policia Nacional arrested him a few days later outside a pawn shop where he planned to sell off two of the stolen mobile phones.
A search of his home uncovered another stolen phone plus other items taken in the robberies in addition to the bogus pistol.
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