Benidorm pickpocket warning as gang targeting tourists in clubs and bars are caught with 70 stolen mobiles
PICKPOCKETS who targeted Brit tourists in clubs and pubs in Benidorm during a five-day crime spree were caught leaving a rented house with FOUR suitcases packed with high-end mobile phones.
Police say the handsets were stolen in clubs and pubs throughout the resort by a gang of four who travelled from Madrid to take advantage of “rich pickings” during the holiday season.
A total of 74 phones were recovered and two women and two men arrested, of Spanish and Moroccan nationalities, aged between 19 and 25.
The investigation was started following a flood of complaints to Benidorm police station which showed an increase in thefts in different parts of the main nightlife areas.
“The method used was always the same, taking advantage of people’s carelessness and distraction in leisure venues, as well as the crowds of people always in Benidorm in the summer,” said a spokesman.
The pickpockets only took phones or cash from bags, usually working in pairs and then passing their haul to a third member inside the club or pub who could get away without raising suspicions.
The fourth person stored the phones in a rented house with the intention of selling them on the black market. Again, they avoided staying in hotels in a bid to keep a low profile.
Officers caught two of the gang in the act in a Benidorm club and the other two were arrested the next day as they left a building with the four suitcases full of phones.
How to beat the Benidorm pickpockets
Many people have their passports, phones and wallets stolen while passing through airports, either on arrival or departure from Spain.
Take extra care to guard all personal belongings when collecting or checking in luggage at the airport, and while arranging car hire.
Thieves are also posing as police officers may approach tourists and ask to see their wallets for identification purposes.
The best things you can do to protect yourself from pickpockets is to stay alert and to look like you know where you’re going.
Criminals of all kinds prefer to target the clueless, confused and those that look out of place or lost..
Simple tips to foil the thieves include wearing a money belt, leaving valuables in your hotel safe and avoid bustling crowds.
Backpacks are an easy target and tourists are advised to keep cash in separate pockets and even down your socks.
A similar group was nabbed last year after stealing 64 phones worth 30,000 euros.
The Sun Online has long exposed the pickpocket gangs honing in on holidaymakers in the popular Spanish resort.
We revealed how aggressive thieves have been singling out drunk Brits by posing as prostitutes looking for tourist trade.
The women team-up at busy crossroads in the Spanish resort and target men as they stagger back to their hotels at the end of boozy nights out.
Some of the late-night thieves are even MEN dressed up as female sex workers to take advantage of legless holidaymakers.
Altghough there is no suggestion these thieves are connected to the phone thefts, cops have launched a crackdown on the criminals – who often turn out to be well-organised Eastern European crooks.
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A Romanian woman was recently arrested for stealing £400 for a UK tourist and another for pinching a £5,000 watch from an elderly man.
Another woman was seized after she took a wallet containing £400 from another holidaymaker.
Holidaymakers are now being warned about the crooks on a Facebook pages set up to highlight crime and scams in the Spanish resort.