THE WEATHER
Edition 316
A
www.thecourier.es
Friday 7th April 2017
HUGGERS HALTED
three-strong Romanian “hugging” gang, that operated around Alicante Province and the Murcia region, are behind bars after being arrested by the Guardia Civil in Dolores. It's the latest in a whole string of “hugging “ incidents and detentions involving Romanians to hit the region over the last 15 months. The trio, two women and a man (pictured in handcuffs), were based in Alicante City, and have been charged with 19 crimes, including five cases of robbery with violence, and were refused bail after appearing at an Orihuela court. The thieves, aged between 22 and 32, used the routine of trying to get help or information from their mainly elderly victims, who would be walking on their own. In a well-drilled routine, the two women would make their approach, with the man waiting in a car for a quick getaway. One of the women would hug their victim as a form of thanks, whilst the other one would then lift any jewellery or a purse/wallet. Their routine was all about striking fast, without the victim noticing what had happened or just being too slow to react, because of their age and vulnerability. If their “mark” immediately suspected that something suspicious was going on, then the women did not hesitate to resort to violence to make sure that they escaped with their loot. The Guardia Civil said
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BY ALEX TRELINSKI that they gave special priority to tracking down the trio because of the callous nature of their crimes. A spokesman said that a woman with a walking frame had money and jewellery taken from her, and in another case, an elderly man praying at the grave of his recently deceased wife, was offered sexual favours by the Romanian females, who then stole his watch. Cemeteries were said to be a particular favourite of the gang to find their potential victims. The crooks used a variety of cars to get to their destinations, and it was in Dolores that they came unstuck. The Guardia had launched an operation against them, with the trio trying to rob an elderly man in the town. Officers were in position in three unmarked cars, and blocked off their escape, and took them into custody. One of those arrested was wanted by authorities in Austria and France. Meanwhile in the northern Costa Blanca, a four-member Romanian hugging crew
has been detained by the Guardia Civil in Altea. The three women and one man, who, like in the Dolores case, was the getaway driver, would operate all around Spain, as they kept moving from place to place. One of the gang members, a 26-year-old woman, had only been arrested on similar charges two days earlier, and a check revealed that she was wanted in connection with 233 crimes right across the country. She has been charged over a whole string of robberies and robberies with violence, including a number in Cox in Alicante Province, as well further north in Altea, Alfaz, and Ontinyent. On this occasion, bail was not granted. Hugging robberies started to be reported at the start of last year, with a Playa Flamenca woman being robbed of a Rolex watch, but the huggers failed to get her wedding ring off her finger, before escaping in a car driven by a man. Police confirmed at the time that they were looking for a Romanian trio in connection with the
incident. Further reports came in all during 2016, with a group operating in Santa Pola and Guardamar (with two arrests made), and the Guardia Civil warning of a gang roaming around the Vega Baja and striking inland in towns like Bigastro. Back in November, a Romanian woman appeared before a Jávea judge after stealing an eight thousand euro Rolex watch in Almoradi, and then went north to plunder items in Calpe, Aspe and Polop. This included a 16 thousand euro Rolex watch being stolen in Calpe, with the total value of the pilfered items said to be 27 thousand euro. Despite the sheet of charges, she was granted bail. In February, two Romanians, aged in their mid-twenties, were “caught in the act” by plain-clothed Guardia agents during a “hugging” robbery at a Jávea service station. A woman was denied bail, after she tried to steal a gold ring from an elderly man as she hugged him.
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