One of the suspects in police custody. | Photo: National Police
Humphrey CarterPalma22/10/2026 16:05
Last week in Palma, the National Police arrested five people accused of forming a criminal gang that specialised in stealing wallets and valuables, particularly from tourists and elderly people.
The National Police organised an operation to arrest the group after a spate of such thefts had been detected in the centre of Palma, in other busy areas of the city and in more rural areas, according to a statement issued by the force on Thursday.
Those under investigation, all of Romanian origin and of varying ages, some of whom were related to one another, coordinated their efforts to carry out the thefts in various areas of Mallorca. National Police officers discovered that the perpetrators divided up the tasks: one was responsible for snatching the wallet, another tried to conceal the theft, and the rest were tasked with facilitating the getaway or hiding and/or taking the stolen goods.
On many occasions, after taking the money from the wallet, one of the gang members would return the wallet to the victim, leading them to believe it had fallen out moments earlier. Between Tuesday and Friday, officers arrested four people accused of forming this gang and of being the alleged perpetrators of theft.
They are also charged with membership of a criminal organisation due to the coordinated nature of their operations. Over the weekend, the police intercepted and arrested a woman accused of taking part in the thefts alongside the others at Palma Airport, where she was about to board a flight.
One of the men arrested has been charged with breaching a precautionary measure, as he was prohibited from coming within 300 metres of Playa de Palma and did so on several occasions during the investigation. Furthermore, following their appearance in court, the judge ordered that two of the detainees be barred from entering Mallorca.