The Guardia Civil has recovered almost all the jewellery stolen from an 89-year-old woman while she was admitted to the accident and emergency department of the Hospital de la Marina Baixa in Villajoyosa. The operation, named Orobox, has clarified the theft within a few days and led to the arrest of a 39-year-old man.
The events began at the end of May, when the victim arrived by ambulance at the hospital centre and was admitted to accident and emergency for tests. During her stay, according to the Guardia Civil, a worker removed the jewellery she was wearing under the pretext of keeping it safe in custody. Upon reaching the ward, the woman discovered that the jewellery had disappeared.
Following the report, the Investigation Area of the Main Post of Villajoyosa took over the enquiries and maintained close coordination from the very beginning with the hospital management, who facilitated the necessary actions to clarify what happened.
Analysis of the gathered information, along with data provided by the victim in successive interviews, allowed investigators to advance in identifying the alleged perpetrator. The woman specified the characteristics of the missing jewellery, a key detail for guiding subsequent checks.
Guardia Civil investigations led to various gold buying and selling establishments in the region. There, investigators confirmed that a large part of the stolen jewellery had already been sold.
The speed of the action proved decisive in recovering almost all the items before they were melted down. Subsequently, the pieces were returned to their owner, for whom they held special sentimental value, as most were memories of her late husband.
The detained 39-year-old man is accused of a crime of theft and two crimes of fraud. The latter are accused of having sold the stolen jewellery in different establishments, and their managers filed a complaint upon learning the origin of the pieces.
The arrested man has been placed at the disposal of the Civil and Investigation Section of the Court of First Instance of Villajoyosa, acting on duty.
The Guardia Civil is keeping the investigation open to identify the legitimate owners of other recovered jewellery.
The armed institute highlighted that the outcome of these actions reflects the effectiveness of the collaboration between the hospital centre and the Guardia Civil, especially in cases affecting elderly people, who are considered one of the most vulnerable groups.
The Orobox operation has thus allowed the recovery of jewellery of considerable sentimental value and prevented most of the pieces from disappearing definitively after their sale in gold establishments.
