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In the framework of the fight against itinerant crime in the city of Benidorm
The National Police dismantles a criminal group dedicated to subtracting high-end mobile phones in the main nightlife areas
The members of the organization traveled from Madrid to Benidorm to carry out the illegal activities. They had perfectly differentiated tasks, while some stole the terminals taking advantage of the agglomeration of people, others were responsible for hiding and guarding the stolen phones to subsequently leave them in the illicit market
At the time of the arrest they were intervened four suitcases with 74 mobile terminals allegedly stolen during their stay in Benidorm
After the arrest of the four alleged members, the judicial authority decreed the entry into prison of all of them
July 25, 2019 National Police agents have broken up in Benidorm a criminal group dedicated to massively subtracting high-end mobile phones in the main nightlife areas of that town. As a result of the operation, the agents have recovered a total of 74 terminals and arrested the four alleged members, who have been imprisoned for these events.
The researchers proceeded to the analysis of the complaints lodged at the Benidorm Police Station, and observed an increase in theft in different locations of the main nightlife areas. The modus operandi used was always similar and coincident in all the facts reported. They took advantage of the carelessness and distraction of customers, inside different leisure venues, as well as the agglomeration of people that characterizes Benidorm in summer.
The subtracted effects were generally always the same. In addition, the modus operandi evidenced a prior election, by the alleged perpetrators, who only stole, from inside the bags carried by the victims, high-end mobile terminals or cash.
Role sharing
The members of the network had their functions distributed and followed the same modus operandi to carry out the illegal activities. Generally, two members accessed the premises, previously chosen for their characteristics and agglomeration of people, and subtracted the mobiles carried by the victims, usually in bags.
Once they managed to loot, without the injured being aware, they facilitated the belongings stolen from a third party, who was also inside the establishment, to take them out of the leisure space without raising suspicion.
It would be another member of the group who would be responsible for the tasks of storage, concealment and custody of the subtracted effects and, later, to give them exit in the illicit market.
As a result of the investigations carried out, the investigators managed to identify the four members of the criminal group, finding out that they traveled from the capital to the town of Benidorm with the sole interest of their own profit by illicit means. Next, they looked for accommodation in rooms or homes in the area through different applications, to avoid registering in hotels or hostels.
Detained in fraganti inside a disco
Continuing with the investigation, the agents located during the early hours of last Saturday two of the alleged perpetrators inside a disco. At that same moment, a person who was inside said he had surprised one of them with his hand inside his bag, which caused them to leave hastily moving to another place in the premises.
Subsequently, another person indicated to the agents that he had been the victim of a theft; his cell phone had been taken from inside the bag.
The agents established a device that allowed the alleged perpetrators to be arrested when, again, they intended to repeat another subtraction maneuver. The policemen surprised them when one of them put his hand in a client's bag.
After the arrest of two of the members, the researchers continued to conduct investigations that allowed them to locate the house they had rented and in which they allegedly hid the stolen effects.
During the morning of the following day, the agents watched as the other two members of the group loaded with four suitcases left the building. When inspecting the interior of the same, they verified that there were a multitude of mobile terminals from which neither of the two alleged authors could justify their origin, so they proceeded to arrest both.
With the dismantling of this criminal group, investigators have recovered a total of 74 high-end mobile phones allegedly stolen.
The detainees, two women and two men, of Spanish and Moroccan nationalities, aged between 19 and 25, entered prison for these events.
The same agents dismantled last year another similar organization managing to recover 64 terminals
In that operation, the four detainees were made with a booty close to 30,000 euros during the five days they were carrying out the criminal activity in the city of Benidorm.
The agents then recovered a total of 64 mobile phones clarifying, in this way, 33 criminal acts. They also had more than 50 grams of hashish. Finally, they were arrested for the alleged commission of the crimes of theft, belonging to a criminal group and against public health.