A 62-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly targeting elderly patients and stealing from their rooms at Torrevieja Hospital, in what police say was a calculated series of thefts against particularly vulnerable victims.
According to the Guardia Civil, the suspect wandered through hospital corridors wearing a cap and pretending to talk on his phone, but officers say he was in fact scouting for targets. He would allegedly pick rooms where patients were asleep, out for medical tests or temporarily absent, then slip inside and steal their belongings.
His preferred haul was high-value electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets. In one case, investigators say, he also took a bag containing essential medical supplies needed for one victim’s treatment.
The arrest followed an investigation launched by the Guardia Civil’s Torrevieja post after two thefts were reported inside the hospital. Working with the hospital’s private security team, officers reviewed surveillance footage and identified a suspect.
The images showed a man moving through the wards with part of his face hidden by a peaked cap, appearing to chat on the phone while selecting potential victims. Once inside a room, he allegedly concealed the stolen items in his jacket before leaving.
Investigators soon detected a clear pattern linking the incidents. All of the victims were elderly foreign nationals, a detail that underlined both their vulnerability and the suspect’s apparent method of operation. Police also said the detainee, a resident of Elche, has previous convictions for similar offences.
The case came to a head on March 3, when hospital security staff allegedly caught the suspect in the middle of another theft and immediately alerted police, leading to his arrest.
Following further inquiries, officers connected him to three alleged counts of theft committed in patients’ rooms at the hospital.
After the case file was prepared, the suspect was brought before the investigating court in Torrevieja. He was later released under precautionary measures ordered by the judge.
The Guardia Civil said the arrest forms part of its Coopera Programme, which is designed to strengthen cooperation with private security services through information-sharing and operational support aimed at improving public safety.
