- Rolex watches valued in many cases at more than 20,000 euros were stolen from foreign tourists
The National Police in Bilbao has arrested two women for having in force eight judicial orders for search, arrest and personation and three for investigations of domicile and whereabouts issued by courts in different parts of the country, as well as three orders for search, arrest and personation of three National Police stations.
The investigations began when the agents of the Bilbao Organized Crime Group learned that two members of an itinerant group of criminals specialized in the theft of high-end watches were in Bilbao. Thus, they were able to find out that these were two women, both of Romanian nationality, who were subject to various judicial requests.
One of them, 26 years old, was in “search and capture” by two courts in Cáceres, another in Guadalajara, one in Malaga, one in Albacete and another in Astorga, in León. In addition, it also had in force three investigations of domicile and whereabouts by courts of Valencia.
The other woman, 24 years old, had two searches for arrest and personation issued by the courts of Malaga and Villarreal, in Castellón, and three search, arrest and police personation orders by the police station of Marbella, South of Tenerife and Valencia.
They were sought for crimes against property such as scams, robberies with violence, thefts, robberies with force and even injuries and their modus operandi consisted of the so-called love theft, based on approaching foreign tourists with high purchasing power and advanced age, who preferably found themselves alone, pretending to sell flowers, read the hand or any other excuse to get into the carelessness of their watches. If they realized the trickery and resisted, they do not hesitate to use violence to seize the jewels, causing them injuries of various kinds.
In this regard, the researchers learned that in Marbella they had stolen from a citizen of Arab origin a watch of the Rolex brand valued at more than 15,000 euros. In the south of Tenerife they did it with a German tourist, snatching a watch of the same brand of more than 30,000 euros. And in Valencia they stole another Rolex of 25,000 euros from an English tourist.
For all these reasons, on 18 and 21 April, he was arrested and brought before the courts, and he was released on charges awaiting trial.