Liam Kirkaldy (Reporter)
Exclusive by Liam Kirkaldy
POLICE are monitoring a crime hotspot on the San Pedro to Ronda road after a series of robberies were committed by an organised gang.
Almost every day handbags and wallets can be seen strewn across the ground at Monte Halcones shopping centre – evidence that the takeaway gang have had their fill of shoppers’ cash and property.
The latest victims were Victoria Sharp and her partner Jenny Donaldson, who were robbed at the nearby Opencor supermarket car park.
“While I was in the supermarket Jenny was looking for her shopping list in the back seat,” said restaurateur Victoria. “She had used her wallet at the toll and it was still lying in the front.
“A man drove up, parked very close to her with the engine roaring and asked directions, then sped off. It took less than two minutes, but afterwards we couldn’t find her wallet. After searching the car we realized he must have had an accomplice who sneaked up and opened the front door on the other side and took it.
“We lost about €1,000, from three different cards. They didn’t have the pin so we still don’t understand how they got it so fast.”
But two weeks later, they saw the exact same men hanging around the same spot.
“They even tried the same maneuver on me again but I was obviously prepared this time,” said Jenny, who drove off.
“It is apparently happening seven days a week. If you arrive in the morning you’ll find empty handbags and wallets strewn across the ground outside.”
Staff from nearby bars and restaurants said robberies were increasingly common in the area.
One said: “I heard about two guys who had their car broken into. They lost a laptop, camera, and bags, but there was nothing the police could do.”
Police have promised to send an unmarked car to the scene in a bid to catch the gang.
In the meantime, shoppers are being advised to be on their guard when visiting the area.
Are the police sure that this is even a “crime”? Surely it’s a civil matter and must go to court in a few hundred years time? That is justice, after all.
there is definitely a robbers gang around Monte Halcones lately. I also had an Ipad stolen from my car right outside the OpenCor Monte Halcones. I had left the car for no more than 3 minutes and came back with the Ipad missing(which wasn´t even visible as it was underneath 2 jackets)
The robbers called me a week later to ask me for my pin code for the Ipad, saying that they had bought it and needed the pin!!! It was completely useless for them without it. I had blocked the Ipad only minutes after it was stolen and had “Apple” put my phone number on the screen for when someone turned it on + the message that it had been stolen…