Two women arrested for pickpocketing elderly victims on Malaga buses

While one of them distracted the victim, the other would steal the person's purse from their handbag or shopping trolley

SUR

Malaga

Thursday, 14 November 2024, 17:21

National Police officers have arrested two women, aged 47 and 42, members of an itinerant criminal group dedicated to committing thefts on buses in the city centre. They are charged with five offences of theft and two offences of fraud. The arrested women took advantage of overcrowded buses to commit the acts of theft, the police said in a statement.

Mostly, they chose elderly victims and while one of the women distracted the victim, the other stole their purse from their handbag or shopping trolley. Two other women have been identified in connection with these incidents but have not yet been located.

The investigation into the incident began following several reports of thefts on the buses. In some cases, after the theft, they used the victim's bank card to make purchases.

During the investigation, the officers focused on gathering all the information necessary to identify the perpetrators. Everything pointed to an itinerant network, made up of women from Eastern European countries, with a great deal of experience and skill in pickpocketing. The investigations carried out shed light on and managed to identify a group of four women belonging to an organised gang dedicated to theft and who had previous convictions.

Their modus operandi allowed them to act with complete freedom, blending in as travellers and using different routes to avoid drawing attention from other passengers. They always targeted elderly individuals, taking advantage of the most opportune moment to steal their money. So far, they are under investigation for committing five counts of theft, and two counts of fraud for the subsequent use of two bank cards to make purchases in shops.

The operation culminated when officers from the regional theft unit, in collaboration with officers from the North and West district police stations, were able to fully identify the four women and arrest, to date, two of them. Both detainees have already been brought before the appropriate judicial authority.

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