‘Love hug’ thieves rob pensioners in Spain city loved by UK tourists | World | News
A man and a woman who allegedly targetted elderly people with ‘love hug’ robberies have been arrested in a popular Spainish tourist spot. The suspected thieves, aged 26 and 30 of undisclosed nationality, are suspected of operating a scam in the Valencia region, moving around different areas of the Costa Blanca and Valencia province.
Mainly old people were targeted in the street as the robbers came up to them with arms wide open, offering them an affectionate ‘love hug’ or kiss as if they knew them. Jewellery, bags and wallets were then snatched from the victim, and if they tried to resist, they were reportedly met with violence, The Olive Press said.
The robbers’ constant movement made it difficult to track the crimes, but the suspects have finally been caught. The Policia Nacional reported 10 thefts in Alicante province and three in the Valencia area.
The offences took place between February and June. The arrested couple live in Santa Coloma de Gramanet in Barcelona and are suspected of having made special trips south to Valencia to rob victims. Lots of jewellery, cash and other suspected stolen items were recovered from their Santa Coloma home by police.
It’s thought that they were involved in more thefts than the 13 they are suspected of as several items found were not mentioned in any crime reports.
Similar robberies are on the rise in the Valencia region, The Olive Press reports, and the police have said that perpetrators often take advantage of the trust and vulnerability of victims, mostly older women, to rob them quickly and disappear without a trace.
In many reports, a woman performs the ‘love hug’ theft and then runs off to a getaway car driven by her partner in crime, a man.
Roughly 18 million British people visit Spain annually. In the first half of 2024, 1.4 million Brits visited the Valencia region specifically.
If you fall victim to a ‘love hug’ theft or any other crime, you can call the Spanish police on 112. Then you should visit a police station as soon as possible to report the crime. There are different types of police stations you can do this at, according to UK government advice. These are:
- National Police (‘Policia Nacional’)
- regional police (‘Ertzaintza’ in the Basque Country, ‘Mossos d’Esquadra’ in Catalonia and ‘Policia Foral’ in Navarre)
- Civil Guard (‘Guardia Civil’)
Some Spanish cities also offer a Foreign Tourist Assistance Service (‘Servicio de Atención al Turista Extranjero’ or ‘SATE’) where you can report crimes in English. While in Spain, you can file a police report online for minor offences such as stolen bags or thefts from your car. If you’ve had belongings stolen, you may need to get a police report for insurance purposes.
If you want to report a violent crime or sexual assault, you must go in person to the nearest police station.
