AN Alicante street thief was caught after snatching a bag containing €5,800 in cash and leaving a trail of banknotes strewn over the pavement.
The Policia Nacional chased down the 46-year-old felon on foot in the early hours of Monday.
All of the money plus personal effects have been returned to the female victim.
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Officers were scrambled to the area after receiving reports that a woman was being chased by a man.
The victim had been punched in the nose and pointed out the direction in which the aggressor had fled.
She said she was walking to her hotel in Alicante city centre after leaving a gaming saloon.
A man started up a conversation with her and asked her for a cigarette.
When taking the cigarette packet out of her bag, she accidentally dropped a €50 note onto the ground.
After walking for a few metres, the man suddenly attacked her and snatched her bag- containing her money, documents, phone and other personal effects.
The Policia Nacional set up a cordon to close off possible escape routes for the thief.
Within minutes, they found him trying to run away, as banknotes flew out of the stolen bag onto the street.
Officers caught him with the victim’s bag in his hands and several banknotes stuffed in his pockets.
Authorities described him as ‘uncooperative’ during the arrest before he was carted off to a police station.
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