The man had to pay more than he thought for his offer to help his relative go to the toilet, since the IV drip and other apparatus can often make things harder. What looked like a simple act of kindness was actually quite cruel, both in what he did and in the situation he was in. It got much worse: complaints to the police and the hospital show that the same thing happened at the Vinalopó Hospital in Elche up to ten times between the end of January and the second part of February. Eventually, authorities from the National Police Station in Elche detained him for stealing more than once. He is suspected of ten robberies, during which investigators think he stole things and money worth about €8,900.
End of February
The National Police received the initial complaint on January 26th. A man was assisting his hospitalised mother to the toilet when he inadvertently tangled the IV infusion. Suddenly, a man appeared and offered his assistance, which is always appreciated in such circumstances. The family was left perplexed when the stranger abruptly closed the lavatory door without providing an explanation. Upon exiting the lavatory, they discovered that their purse, which contained a cell phone charger, glasses, a wallet, and other personal items, was missing. The stolen products were valued at a total of 625 euros.
Background
The issue is that the alleged thief, who is 61 years old and resides in Elche, sneaks into the rooms and steals everything he can in a matter of minutes. He claims to be assisting patients or taking advantage of the fact that patients go out into the hallway to stretch their legs. Ultimately, the agents of Group II of the Judicial Police Brigade of Elche arrest the man, who has a record from 2002 for misappropriation, after recognising the victims and the video surveillance system.
Additional distance
In reality, it appears that he initially staggered the break-ins. For instance, the second incident that was reported took place on February 5th. According to the subsequent report, the alleged perpetrator stole goods valued at €4,300 from the complainant, a woman who was with her companion. This haul must have been alluring, as the thefts continued to escalate from the following week onwards, despite the fact that rumours had begun to propagate that an individual was breaking into rooms and stealing whatever he could find. Furthermore, the complainants’ descriptions of the man were consistent, as he was observed loitering in the corridors prior to the break-ins, with the intention of observing his victims’ movements.
The third complaint was submitted on February 13th. The woman was once more in the company of her mother. Nevertheless, the alleged criminal capitalised on the opportunity to steal their belongings during their hallway stroll. He stole her purse, which contained her car and house keys, her mobile phone, her wallet with cash, her makeup bag, and other personal items. In total, 710 euros.
This theft was a turning point, as he returned the following day and, leveraging the fact that another woman was in the bathroom with her recently operated spouse, stole three mobile phones, two of which were concealed in a bag. The total value of the stolen devices was 1,587 euros. The most distressing aspect is that the victims even testified that he had entered the room the day prior, apologising afterwards and asserting that he had made a mistake.
The most recent instances
Two burglaries were reported on Saturday, February 14th, with the perpetrators exploiting the circumstances to exit their rooms. It is intriguing that in one of the instances, the proprietor of a mobile phone received a notification on his device, believed it to be in his pocket, visited his room, and found it to be absent. The National Police officers in Elche were able to make an arrest shortly thereafter as a result of the more precise description that the criminal had. The arrest was also influenced by security camera footage, information provided by some of the victims, and details provided by nursing staff and security officers.
