Three arrested in Benidorm for stealing wallets and using the cards where one of them worked

Three individuals were apprehended by National Police officers in Benidorm (Alicante) on suspicion of being the leaders of a criminal organisation that specialises in pickpocketing. It is believed that the group stole credit cards from the establishment’s POS payment terminals, where one of the individuals worked.

    The National Police said the arrest was made at the same place the cards were used, 20 minutes after the wallet was stolen.

    The CIMACC Chamber of the 091 made the arrests after a foreign tourist called to report that a man, whose wallet he had stolen, fled on a high-powered vehicle driven by another person.

    The nearby area was the subject of a coordinated deployment by city service patrols.  The victim was receiving notifications on his mobile phone regarding charges made to his cards, so the remaining crews were deployed through the streets of the leisure and restaurant area of the old city while one of the crews interrogated her.  A maximum of nine payment transactions were executed.

    The deployed agents found a vehicle in front of an establishment that matched the victim’s description. The vehicle’s name corresponded to one of the most recent charges mentioned by the injured party.

    Consequently, the authorities secured the premises’ exits to avert the possibility of an escape.  They observed that three men were conversing inside, and two of them attempted to exit without being observed by the agents when they entered.  One of the suspects was carrying a product that was purchased on the spot, as well as dollar banknotes, reais (Brazilian currency), and pounds in their pockets.

    In the interim, one of the officers observed as a third individual, who was later identified as the establishment’s manager, exited the counter and proceeded to a corner. There, he threw four fragments of what appeared to be a credit card to the ground.

    As a result, the authorities were able to retrieve these fragments and determine that they were one of the victim’s cards.  Additionally, they found a health certificate in his pocket that did not belong to him.   In the end, they found three payment terminals on the counter, adjacent to which were several purchase statements that corresponded to the charges made to the victim’s card that were also discovered. Additionally, a box contained 2,610 euros in cash, although the invoicing for that day was only 3 euros.

    For these reasons, the agents apprehended these three individuals, who are alleged to have committed the offences of theft, fraud, money laundering of capital, and criminal organisation.  The city’s investigating court has placed the suspects under detention following the police proceedings.