A 49-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman were detained in a coordinated operation conducted by national police and the civil guard as alleged perpetrators of numerous hotel room robberies in Benidorm. The couple is also accused of document fraud, fraud and participation in a criminal organization.
The investigations began last July after officials noted a noticeable rise in thefts targeting hotel properties and tourist apartments in Benidorm. The suspects blended in with hundreds of visitors to avoid drawing attention while committing their crimes.
Criminal investigators from the Forensic Police linked the new wave of forced robberies to the same perpetrators after analyzing a sudden increase in incidents and identifying a shared modus operandi across cases.
The thieves exploited peak daytime hours when reception desks and hotel services were crowded by guests, allowing them to move unseen.
Disguised in swimsuits like other travelers, they entered hotels, manipulated doors with devices and stole valuable items from safes. In some cases, safes were pried open or ripped from walls, and the culprits left with suitcases full of loot as if nothing had happened.
Investigations established the involvement of at least three individuals connected to a roaming criminal network, traveling between coastal towns and coordinating the thefts.
Through interagency collaboration and information sharing, investigators detected similar robberies across the Costa Blanca in locations near Benidorm, raising the possibility that the same criminal group operated in multiple jurisdictions.
Suspicion focused on a group of travelers of Algerian nationality who moved along the coast, committing brief burglaries to avoid capture.
To curb the surge in robberies, a large security deployment was deployed around the major hotel districts in Benidorm, enabling officers to surprise and arrest a couple with a recent burglary at a central hotel.
During searches, authorities recovered tools used to access rooms, including slip materials, screwdrivers and gloves. Subsequent searches yielded stolen items and forged documents.
As of now, the suspects face charges for 55 hotel room robberies, membership in a criminal organization, and document fraud, with ongoing efforts to locate the remaining members of the gang.
The detainees were brought to the Benidorm security court after police testimony and were remanded to custody pending trial.
The investigation was conducted by the Benidorm National Police Station Judicial Police Group III and Citizen Safety agents, in collaboration with the Organic Unit of the Benidorm Civil Guard Command Judicial Police and the Forensic Police Technical Unit of the Guardia Civil Heritage Division.