TWO alleged members of a “professional” robbery gang have been arrested in Marbella after raiding at least nine tourist flats.
The pair nicked items worth over £550,000 while tourists were outside their homes, Spain’s National Police said.
Policia.esThe two ‘professional’ robbers arrested in Marbella[/caption]
GettyMarbella is popular with British tourists[/caption]
The force said the men disguised themselves as tourists to “blend in with their surroundings” and avoid raising suspicions while breaking into rentals.
During other burglaries, they were spotted wearing masks and caps to avoid being identified on security cameras.
The pair are accused of carrying out at least nine night-time robberies in the popular southern Spanish city, police said.
The force added their haul could be worth over £550,000.
Their loot includes jewellery, luxury watches, electronic devices and cash.
They allegedly used a well-known technique to open doors, which involves inserting a sheet of flexible plastic between the frame and the lock’s hatch.
During the investigation, police revealed that the suspects targeted tourist blocks.
They would reportedly wait for tourists to leave the properties before breaking in.
Investigators said they may have used sophisticated methods, like “bumping” or “impressioning” – as some victims said they locked the door and found no signs of forced entry upon their return.
They scoped out the properties, police said, to determine when tenants or tourists were least likely to be inside.
Once inside the homes, the robbers took precautions to avoid leaving fingerprints or traces, police added.
The two suspects have been remanded in custody, and further investigations are underway.
It comes as fears of a Costa del Sol night crawler emerged after an influencer’s £50,000 Rolex was stolen.
Noemí Hopper claims the watch was nicked from a bedroom while her household was sleeping in the swanky Benahavís villa.
Hopper, who has more than 1.4m followers on TikTok, posted a clip to social media about the theft.
She gave a tour of the luxury home, pointing out where a friend’s Rolex and her own Chanel bag were stolen.
The group had been staying in the villa since July 15, but woke up on the 21st to find some of their belongings missing.