The National Police have arrested a Romanian man and woman, aged 35 and 29, for committing five crimes of theft and two crimes of fraud in shopping centres in the south of Tenerife, after arriving on the island from Bucharest in mid-November.
The couple have multiple records for theft in different parts of Spain, and in fact, the man is legally prohibited from going to certain parts of the country due to these activities.
The investigation started after complaints received from the date of arrival of the couple reporting the crimes which collectively have a total value of more than 4,500 euros.
According to the police, the couple reportedly picked their victims out of busy shopping centres, and have a preference for elderly tourists, from whom they stole their wallets.
Once stolen, they took the cash and credit cards, then quickly used the cards in shops, since the victims kept the pin numbers in their wallet so as not to forget them, before they realised they had been stolen or had a chance to report them.
After arresting the couple, the National Police conducted a search at the hotel where they were staying and found more than 1,500 euros in currency from different countries, and luxury clothing worth more than 3,000 euros in their room. Upon their arrest, the detainees, together with the statement made for this purpose, were made available to the competent judicial authority for sentencing.
The National Police reminds people that it is essential to be careful with their personal belongings, and not to have pin numbers in your purse or wallet, or in some cases, even written on the credit card itself.
