Granny thief: the frail-looking 81-year-old burglar who had five thefts from tourist flats to her name
A court in Malaga has ordered the octogenarian to be remanded in custody after being caught red-handed by a guest staying in one of the properties
Her appearance was her main trump card: no one would suspect an elderly woman with a frail appearance and an affable character. In reality though, this was a woman with a long history of crimes against property and who, at 81 years of age, was dedicated to sneaking into tourist flats in the centre of Malaga in search of money and jewellery. Following the arrest of the 'granny thief', to whom five burglaries have been attributed, a court has ordered her to be remanded in custody.
The octogenarian was arrested earlier this month after one of the residents caught her inside the tourist accommodation where she was staying, after which she immediately alerted the National Police.
A team of plainclothes officers were sent to the scene and found that the elderly woman had a long history of property crime. During her arrest, they located a number of plastic cards allegedly used to 'slip' the locks.
Investigators believe she was behind four other burglaries since July in the same area that followed the same pattern. Her modus operandi consisted of using a thin, flexible object, such as a bank card, to slide between the door frame and the latch.
In this way, she managed to open locked doors and enter inside tourist flats, where she went mainly in search of cash and jewellery.
The suspect's advanced age and frail appearance was an advantage when it came to going unnoticed as she sneaked into buildings in search of houses to rob. According to the investigators, if she was discovered by a neighbour, she pretended that it had been a mistake or even that she was the cleaning lady.
