Simon Hunter
SPAIN’S Civil Guard has arrested four people on suspicion of stealing at least 123 cellphones for a value of €60,000 from an unusual target: football players who were out on the field training.
The modus operandi of the gang was to allegedly wait until the squad had left its belongings behind in the changing rooms, and then make off with whatever cash and valuables it could get its hands on.
The group would travel hundreds of kilometres a day in order to target grounds, and would work during the week as well as at the weekend, according to a statement released by the Civil Guard.
The operation, dubbed Rox23 by the authorities, began after the theft of 12 cellphones was reported by a team in La Puebla de Montalban, in Toledo province.
The victims of the gang were players from all kinds of clubs, ranging from amateurs to those linked to professional teams such as Real Valladolid and Atletico de Madrid.
The robberies took place in provinces such as Salamanca, Burgos, Avila, Valladolid, Guadalajara, Madrid, Ciudad Real and Cuenca.
The detainees are three men and one woman, and are aged between 22 and 38 years old. The authorities also seized 40 stolen phones and some €6,500 in cash. The Civil Guard has also put out a call for anyone who thinks they may have been victim of the gang to get in touch via the following email address: to-pto-torrijos-eqcia@guardiacivil.org.
Read more:
- Pickpocket gang pinch wallets and phones in busy areas of Spain’s Valencia
- Moroccan bricklayer wrongly convicted for rape in Spain may finally see justice
- Robber commits 83 home burglaries in same Valencia area town in Spain
