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Malaga
Wednesday, 6 November 2024, 09:25
National Police have smashed a gang that targeted victims at train stations and shopping centres on the Costa del Sol. Five alleged members of the gang were caught right after they had committed an offence and have been charged with theft, fraud and belonging to a criminal group.
The arrested men chose their victims while they were making a purchase, carefully observing them when they made a payment with a bank card, thereby obtaining the PIN number. Later, when the victims were distracted, the thieves stole their wallet or card, which they then used to make purchases or withdraw money from ATMs.
The investigation started after police detected an increase in reports of thefts committed in the centre of Malaga, the Cercanías train stations in Malaga city and La Colina in Torremolinos.
The gang can be linked to at least seven thefts all of them committed the same way. Once they had stolen the wallet or bank card, they went to nearby ATMs to withdraw cash, or to shopping centres in the area where they made purchases in different shops.
National Police were then able to identify the five alleged members of the gang after they had just committed an offence. At the time of the arrest, they were carrying several items of clothing, a luxury watch, 1,400 euros and a purse.
In a search carried out at the home of one of the suspects, police officers seized a large amount of documentation proving the offences committed.
Those arrested have been handed over to the courts, with a judge prohibiting them of approaching within 500 metres of all train, metro or bus stations in Malaga, as well as all shopping centres in Malaga city.
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