A young Algerian man in his 20s has been arrested by the National Police after stealing a €5,000 watch from a German tourist in the Playa de Palma. The criminal met the victim on a bus and, when the victim got off to head to his hotel, he followed him and assaulted him in the street to snatch a Tag Heuer watch. The man in his seventies suffered injuries and had to receive medical attention.
The incident took place on 17 March, when a couple of German tourists who were strolling through the centre of Palma boarded a bus bound for the Playa de Palma. The thief followed the couple without them noticing. Once at their destination, the couple got off the bus and walked towards their hotel.
Suddenly, the young man approached the tourist, grabbed him firmly by the arm and a struggle ensued until, finally, he managed to snatch the watch he was wearing. The assailant pushed the victim and fled the scene at a run. The septuagenarian’s wife realised that the young man had travelled with them on the bus.
The couple went to the hotel where they were staying and called the National Police. A patrol car accompanied them to a medical centre so that his injuries could be treated, whilst the Robbery Squad took charge of the investigation and interviewed the victims.
Officers discovered that the offender had used another person’s citizen card to board the bus. After extensive inquiries, they managed to identify the young man and arrested him last Tuesday. He is charged with robbery with violence.