Mallorca pickpocket arrests: five held, two barred

Mallorca pickpocket case: police have arrested five people over thefts from tourists and older people, and two are now barred from entering the island. Spain’s National Police said on Thursday, 22 October, that the suspects are two men and three women. Four were arrested last week; officers stopped the fifth at Palma airport, Mallorca, over the weekend, shortly before that person was due to fly off the island.

The investigation began after thefts increased in central Palma and the Part Forana area. Police say the suspects worked together: one took a wallet, another hid the theft, and the others helped with the escape or carried the stolen property away. Often, someone returned the wallet after taking the cash, leaving its owner to think they had dropped it.

Officers searched for the suspects in Arenal, Mallorca. Shortly before the arrests, some allegedly tried to steal from tourists again near Playa de Palma. Police say most of those arrested had records for similar offences. One is also accused of repeatedly breaching an order to stay at least 300 metres from Playa de Palma. After the suspects appeared before a court, two were barred from entering Mallorca.

In May, the National Police set up a theft squad within its Provincial Judicial Police Brigade. Its roughly ten officers reinforce areas where thefts increase and pursue groups specialising in pickpocketing.

Topics: Police · Arrests · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com