The Guardia Civil has dismantled a travelling criminal group that specialised in robbing elderly people using the “loving hug” or “affectionate hug” method. Four individuals have been arrested for more than twenty crimes committed across Alicante, Valencia, Murcia, and Malaga. The four detainees have been remanded in custody after being charged by the Guardia Civil with eight robberies and thirteen thefts of jewellery valued at 33,000 euro.
To carry out the robberies, the arrested criminals did not hesitate to use physical violence against elderly and especially vulnerable people who suffered from motor difficulties. According to the Guardia Civil, investigators observed an increase in reports of property crimes committed against elderly or disabled people in towns within the Malaga region of Antequera.
These incidents shared remarkably similar characteristics. A young woman would approach her victim under the pretext of pointing out a stain on their clothing or, supposedly, to greet them because she had not seen them in a long time. At this point, she would take the opportunity to hug the victim and steal any jewellery they were wearing.
In most cases, the criminals used physical violence when their victims tried to prevent the robbery. In Almargen (Malaga), a woman using a walker was assaulted and robbed of a gold chain. When she tried to resist within her physical limitations, the victim was grabbed by the neck and thrown to the ground, causing serious injuries including bone fractures.
Thanks to the investigation, the four people who made up this criminal group were identified and arrested in the towns of Villanueva del Trabuco (Malaga) and Loja (Granada) as alleged perpetrators of the crimes of belonging to a criminal group, crimes against property, offences against traffic safety and injuries.
The Guardia Civil accuses this criminal group of committing eight robbery offences and 13 theft offences in different towns in Malaga, alongside another ten criminal acts in towns in the provinces of Valencia, Alicante and Murcia.
The investigation, framed within the “Plan Mayor” of the State Secretariat for Security for the prevention and improvement of the safety of elderly people, has been carried out by members of the Guardia Civil of the Antequera Company. The detainees have been placed at the disposal of the court, and imprisonment has been decreed for all of them.
