A 42-year-old man was arrested in the Valencian town of l’Horta by agents of the National Police amid allegations that he staged two separate crimes. Authorities accuse him of deliberately starting a vehicle fire and then trying to pin the blame on his former partner. He is also alleged to have falsely claimed that he had been the victim of a violent robbery, naming a man as one of the assailants. The case now centers on whether these events were carefully constructed to mislead investigators.
Police began their inquiry in mid-August of the previous year, prompted by reports of a vehicle set ablaze on municipal wasteland. A hat found at the scene appeared to belong to a tourist, while a photograph showed the ex-wife wearing the same hat. An eyewitness account initially suggested that a woman with specific characteristics had ignited the car. These elements drew investigators into pursuing a possible intentional scenario rather than a random act of vandalism.
As the investigation advanced, authorities determined that the eyewitness statements were unreliable. It emerged that the supposed witness had not actually observed the incident and had been prompted by the affected party to name a blamable figure. Investigators also uncovered that the vehicle owner intended to position the hat and other clues near the fire to steer blame toward the former partner, effectively orchestrating the fire himself.
Falsely reporting a violent robbery
The case then took another turn as police looked into a separate allegation from late August, in which the suspect claimed a violent robbery had occurred. The report described two men approaching from behind and striking the complainant with baseball bats, followed by the theft of two mobile phones, a gold chain, and other personal items.
The person identified by the alleged victim as one of the perpetrators was said to be an acquaintance of the ex-spouse. Yet investigators found that the incident never happened, and the so-called stolen mobile phones were used days after the supposed robbery. The timeline and the alleged loss did not align with a genuine crime event, casting serious doubt on the entire report.
Based on these findings, authorities charged the man with serious crime simulation and as the supposed perpetrator of two separate offenses. He was detained and later referred to the courthouse for proceedings related to the case, while further inquiries continued regarding the broader intent behind the actions and any potential accomplices.