A 39-year-old woman has been remanded in custody after she was arrested in Pilar de la Horadada accused of numerous robberies using the “affectionate hug”, or “hugger mugger” method.
The investigation began in January by the Guardia Civil due to the detection of several robberies with violence and thefts, carried out in the town of Pilar de la Horadada,
The “affectionate hug” method consists of the approach of the perpetrator, usually a woman, to the victim, normally an elderly man carefully selected, whom the author starts a conversation or asks a question, accompanied by an approach to caress or give a thank you hug to the victim, at which point the perpetrator skilfully seizes the jewellery, watch or material that they are targeting. In the event that the act is frustrated or the victim manages to discover the author, she does not hesitate to use violence to seize the jewellery.
In the month of March, after arduous investigative work and finding out about various criminal acts that had been carried out in the town, the agents recognized the modus operandi, managing to identify the perpetrator of the crimes, being a woman of Romanian nationality and 39 years old.
On March 27, the investigators, who had already focused their inquiries on the identified person, managed to locate her as she was preparing to approach an elderly man, thwarting the imminent crime and carrying out the arrest.
On March 28, the detainee, who had numerous records of the same nature, was placed at the disposal of Orihuela Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 2, who ordered her provisional detention.
