WATCH: Brazen Thief Steals Suitcase And Handbag Containing Items Worth €245,000 At Barcelona Airport

A 22-year-old male was arrested by Mossos d’Esquadra officers on duty at Barcelona Airport as the alleged perpetrator of a crime of theft.

The incident occurred this Saturday, July 8, at around 4 pm, in Terminal 1 of Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport.

According to a statement from the force today, the detainee has a high level of criminal activity with around thirty police records for crimes against property committed during the last year, the vast majority for thefts in the airport facility.

Video footage posted on the official Mossos Twitter account showed the brazen thief walking calmly up to a suitcase while its owner was checking in at an airline desk. He subsequently walked away pulling the case and an attached handbag.

Furta a l'aeroport de Barcelona una maleta i una cartera amb contingut per valor de 240.000€. Uns testimonis veuen l'autor i ens avisen. Ens despleguem ràpidament per la zona i detenim el lladre amb el botí que retornem al seu propietari https://t.co/P8tRZEPIdc pic.twitter.com/JhvBXsKPBf

— Mossos (@mossos) July 8, 2023

Thankfully, other passengers observed the suspected theft and alerted the officers who were on security detail. They passed an accurate description of the perpetrator to the police who, accompanied by the victim, quickly identified the alleged thief before he could exit the building.

Among the belongings stolen were three high-end watches worth €240,000, as well as cash. Between the suitcase and handbag, the value of the stolen items totalled approximately €245,000.

After the police apprehended the suspect, they returned the belongings to their rightful owner. The detainee is due to appear before a judge in Barcelona this Sunday 9.

Mossos officers prevented the theft of a watch worth €500,000

Mossos officers recently also prevented the theft of a high-end luxury watch in the city. In a joint investigation with the National Police on June 8, they arrested three men who had stolen a luxury watch valued at €500,000 from a man as he was leaving a restaurant in Barcelona.

The three men, known to specialise in the theft of luxury watches, had been observed at Barcelona Airport arriving on a flight from Italy.

Following the robbery, the criminals were promptly arrested as they exited an apartment they had been using in the Hospitalet de Llobregat district. A search of the property uncovered the stolen timepiece which was subsequently returned safely to its owner.