One of Spain’s most-wanted fugitives arrested in Alicante

National Police officers in the city of Alicante have arrested one of Spain’s most-wanted fugitives, who had seven outstanding arrest warrants against her.

The 30-year-old Romanian woman was wanted by the judicial authorities in the Costa del Sol town of Fuengirola, where three warrants were pending in her name. Another four were issued in Manzanares in Ciudad Real and in the Alicante municipality of Torrevieja.

As explained by the National Police, all of the warrants were issued for causes related to crimes against property in the years 2015, 2022, and 2023.

“There are not usually people with seven warrants, especially women. It is unusual because they are normally men”, a source from the force explained to elespanol.com. They clarified that the detainee was: “one of the most wanted or wanted persons in Spain”.

A statement released by the National Police said that the woman had been identified as the suspected leader of a criminal group dedicated to committing crimes against property. Her modus operandi was ‘love theft’, as it is known in police jargon.

The victims are usually very old men who are confronted in the street by a woman who hugs them excitedly and kisses them on the mouth.

This action is designed to allow them to remove any gold or silver chains that they might have around their neck, or watches from their wrists.

They act quickly and leave the victim without having time to react due to a lack of reflexes. In the event that their victim has the ability to respond, the criminals do not hesitate to act with force to achieve their objectives by pulling, which is considered robbery with violence.

“At headquarters, they cause us a lot of concern because there is an upward trend”, revealed a source from Alicante Police. That is why they consider this type of crime “especially bloody”.

These criminals are also known to take advantage of the fact that their victims do not usually remember faces, which makes it easier for them to evade justice.

In the case of the woman arrested by the police officers in Alicante, the sources indicated that: “she knew how to evade very well”, as evidenced by the seven warrants that were in place.

The suspect had previously been arrested up to nine times confirmed the force. She was also being sought by the Elda-Petrer Police Station after being identified as the author of a crime of theft. After her arrest, she was placed at the disposal of the Alicante Guard Investigating Court.