Mogán Policia Local say they stopped and arrested two pickpockets last week, after a day of surveillance, having received reports from Playa de Mogán, and subsequently a tourist whose belongings had been allegedly stolen in a pool bar, in Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria, the tourist resort town where they were eventually intercepted.
Puerto de Mogán control tower operators reported to the Policia Local the identity of two men suspected of being pickpockets. Hours later, an agent reported a possible pickpocketing, at the main Global bus stop, which he managed to photograph. The identity match was confirmed by the person in charge of the station, who was also able to confirm that the two men had left the scene in a vehicle.
Minutes later, Policia Local received a call from a bar near the beach in Puerto Rico, reporting the theft of a wallet from one of their clients, who had been enjoying the day with his family. His belongings included £300, bank cards and a driving license.
At about the same time, Guardia Civil intercepted the car carrying the suspected pickpockets, on Avenida Tomas Roca Bosch and requested the presence of Policia Local officers to carry out alcohol and drug detection tests. There the victim of the crime recognised the alleged perpetrator in the passenger seat of the stopped vehicle, who was arrested after an inspection of the vehicle uncovered the stolen belongings, which could be immediately returned to their owner.
Policia Local required the driver’s driving license, but he stated that he did not have one and only provided an illegible document where his driving license number was supposed to appear. He was also asked to do alcohol and drug tests, which he repeatedly refused.
Faced with this situation, a crime against road safety, the driver delivered an identity card from his country of origin but did not prove a place of residence on the island, essential to guarantee his location when his presence before the judicial authority is necessary, and therefore, he too was arrested.