A young Romanian woman was arrested in the Rojales area last week after being involved in a series of “hugging” robberies. The detention was made after a joint operation between the Rojales local police and the Guardia Civil.
The woman had been operating with two associates outside some shops in the Doña Pepa II urbanisation, and would steal items of jewellery, watches, wallets or handbags, after asking mainly elderly people for directions or information. They would be bear-hugged in grateful thanks as items were then pilfered, and a fast getaway was made.
The detained woman had a record of similar offences on the Costa del Sol in Marbella and Torremolinos, and was also wanted by a Murcia court, as well being involved in stealing jewellery from an elderly man in Benijófar.
This latest “hugging” incident adds to an extensive catalogue of similar robberies executed by organised gangs, mainly from Eastern Europe, across Alicante Province and the Murcia region over the last 18 months.
Meanwhile, the Guardia Civil said that two Romanian female huggers were arrested last week on the northern Costa Blanca. They were trying to steal property from an elderly non-Spanish couple whilst they were parked up in their car in Moraira. The two women had an extensive record of similar incidents, and were the subject of a series of summonses to appear before judges across the country.
