Two arrested as €237,000 worth of items robbed at Barcelona airport

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of carrying out a robbery of a bag containing items valued at €237,000 in the carpark of Barcelona airport.

The events took place on the night of June 30, when the victim, a representative of a jeweler, was loading their car. According to Catalan police, the two men accused distracted the victim to steal the backpack in the front of the vehicle. 

The stolen bag contained 5,000 euros in cash, a laptop, a hard drive, sunglasses, and a jewelry showcase. 

From the videos recorded by the security cameras of the car park, the agents identified the thieves, who habitually commit crimes at the airport. The arrests of the alleged perpetrators took place on Friday night when police identified them in Barcelona city center. 

How the thieves work

The police explain that the 'modus operandi' of the thieves is to distract the victims when they are loading or unloading their car by telling them that the car they have just rented is damaged.

Normally, the thieves do not carry any luggage and if they do, they are usually big bags, empty, and easily opened where they can hide stolen objects. 

In addition, offenders usually act in groups in a coordinated manner, maintaining visual contact and communicating by mobile phone or gestures to detect possible victims.

Once the robbery has been committed, its authors quickly leave the airport by private car, public transport or taxi.