Alex Trelinski
THE Guardia Civil has busted a group of Madrid airport employees for stealing valuables from luggage with a value of over €120,000.
16 employees of two companies operating at the airport have been arrested for pilfering bags, jewellery, clothing and electronic devices.
Another 22 workers are being investigated.
Guardia sources said those arrested committed the ‘most valuable’ thefts, while those still probed committing smaller robberies.
Officers managed to recover a range of items from a large number of high-end bags and clothing, to electronic devices – tablets, watches, mobile phones or wireless headphones – cameras, a violin, a Bible and cash.
Many of the victims managed to be reunited with their stolen property.
The camera belonged to a non-commissioned officer of the U.S. Army, who was based in Puerto Rico.
A smartwatch was owned by a company executive and the violin was an instrument owned by a young musician who was travelling to London for a recital.
A New York university student recovered her state-of-the-art phone while a man was reunited with his tablet- some two years after it disappeared.
A woman had jewellery returned to her and a Nicaraguan priest had his Bible sent back to him, which contained photographs and personal notes.
A large quantity of sausages, ham, cheeses, cans of preserves and other foods that had been donated to soup kitchens were also seized because their legitimate owners could not be located.
The Guardia Civil said that besides the loss of items- many of which had sentimental value- passengers faced the stressed and in convenience of having to report thefts in the middle of their business or leisure trips.
Last December, 14 Tenerife airport workers were arrested for stealing millions of euros worth of jewellery, phones and cash from holidaymakers’ luggage.
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