“I’m going to hell”. This was the reaction of a 56-year-old man of Italian descent, unknown whether he was serious or joking. National Police related to Alicante He set out to arrest her last Three Kings Day for possessing Stole about 1,500 euros from the collection box of the Holy Face church. Francesco is known in various churches in Alicante as: “Italian”, almost did miracles confiscating banknotes and coins donated by believers. with simple fishing line and adhesive tape double sided, this “fisherman” allegedly looted Holy Face’s brush earlier this month and is suspected of “fishing” at other churches in Alicante, whose presence they previously banned.
Armed with patience, like good fishermen, thief took advantage of the masses Standing by the bushes at Santa Faz church and attaching a fishing rod with a piece of double-sided tape at the end to the slot to receive money donated by the faithful.
One administrator noticed him when he returned to the monastery another day and said he would “go to hell” if he was arrested.
This is how he issued banknotes and coins while the priest was conducting the liturgy. He would take the fishing rod with the money in it like fishing, collect the bills stuck to the sticky tape, and throw it back into the bushes. If the sticky strip came off, I would put another one and start over.
Security cameras
The theft came to light on January 4, when the person in charge of the maintenance and security cameras of the Santa Faz church was on his way to collect the money donated by the congregation, even though it was time for the Christmas parties, and saw that the brush was empty. they usually collect donations between 1,500 and 2,000 euros.
The administrator then went to review the logs of the security system. Holy Face Convent and he managed to discover that because of the beginning of January, there was not a day when believers were left without support, but it was possible to observe in the images how a man introduced a kind of thread with a sticky object. Fly through the slot activated in the brush where loyal coins and bills are deposited. This action was repeated many times. “fisherman” Until he emptied the box of money and left the church.
It can be seen in the images that skilled thief He was accompanied by two women, so the person in charge reported all these facts to the National Police after he was authorized to file a complaint on 5 January by the Abbess of the Augustinian convent of Santa Faz convent in Alicante. The legal representative of the congregation of nuns explains in the permit, that the suspect in the robbery committed on the 4th was seen in the monastery weeks ago and they have identified it themselves. signs of stealing more money -in addition to the reported 1,500 euros- for having previously found some tickets with adhesive tape inside the brush.
This Alicante Northern District Police Station He had received the complaint about these events on the eve of the Three Kings, and when he returned to the scene with his success, he was barely able to take a step to catch the master thief. However, he did not have the same luck and found himself in the cells of the Provincial Police Station. On the morning of Three Kings’ Day, the church’s caretaker suddenly saw the suspect in the robbery in the cafeteria in front of the cloister, between the two entrances to the Holy Face. He was in a skeptical manner and before entering the church he National Police warned and sent several uniformed and plainclothes patrols.
“I’m going to hell”
Agents appeared in Santa Faz, and when they approached the suspect to question him about the robbery, he replied, “I’m going to hell,” and said nothing more. agents, who they couldn’t find women Caught with the suspect two rolls of masking tape a double-sided line 135 centimeters long, among other effects. It would probably empty the brush like it did two days ago, but it was noticed and stopped.
The police referred him to the Provincial Police Station. exercised his right not to testify and when he went to court the next day he didn’t. The pre-trial court released him on charges but without injunction. The ticket hunter was staying at a hostel in Alicante, and the Police do not rule out that he is continuing his private life. the way of santiago to other cities where he could use the same “fishing” technique to rob churches.