Simon Wade
GUARDIA CIVIL have arrested three men in Alicante who robbed unsuspecting car owners using the so-called Peruvian method.
The thieves punctured car tyres and robbed the owners at gunpoint, knifepoint or by distraction as they changed the wheel.
The trio are accused of five crimes of theft, two crimes of robbery and one of fraudulent use of a bank card.
Investigations began in March when two thefts occurred at Carrefour in Sant Joan d’Alacant.
On one occasion, the robbery victim chased the knife-wielding aggressor on foot, but he escaped.
This was followed by five robberies in May, where victims were targeted at the nearby LIDL and the Hospital de Sant Joan d’Alacant, as well as the original location at Carrefour.
The culprits have also been known to steal from shoppers as they load their cars.
Guardia eventually arrested an Algerian man, Spanish woman, and a Moroccan man – all residents of the Juan XXIII neighborhood of Alicante.
The two men have more than 80 arrests already, mostly for robberies using the identical Peruvian method.
They are considered extremely dangerous, using violence without hesitation.
The three have all been released with charges, and await trial.
