The Mossos d’Esquadra have arrested two men in Barcelona who were impersonating people whose DNI had been stolen to withdraw cash from banks throughout Spain.
As reported by the Mossos on Wednesday, it is suspected that the two detainees are the last echelon of an alleged network that is dedicated to stealing DNI from inside cars and then “captures” people with physical features similar to those of the victims to that, using their card, they withdraw money from banks or order large transfers without raising the suspicions of the employees.
In fact, last October, the Catalan police already arrested a woman for the same events, who was allegedly part of the same network. It is estimated that the two detainees now, both multiple repeat offenders who have accumulated thirty arrests, have impersonated 35 men in the last year with whom they bore a certain resemblance in as many scams in which they obtained some 57,000 euros. Both, aged 32 and 44, worked in bank offices throughout Spain, even those that travel in rented vehicles.
The investigation began in May 2022 and ended on March 28, after the two criminals withdrew cash from three banks in Valencia using stolen IDs.
The Mossos intercepted them when they were returning to their homes, in Terrassa and Castellar del Vallès, in Barcelona, ​​where they were arrested and in whose possession the stolen DNI that they had used shortly before in Valencia was found.
In the search of the apartment of one of them, the agents found clothes and objects used in the scams. The judge sent one of them to prison and released the other, who apparently focused on support work, including renting the vehicles in which they traveled.
The two are accused of the crimes of fraud, use of an authentic document without legitimizing, identity theft and belonging to a criminal group, in which they were in charge of committing the last crime: going to the bank to withdraw the money in exchange for a commission.
The investigation was carried out in collaboration with the Anti-Fraud and Fraud Prevention and Criminal Acts Groups of the affected banks, and the detainees could be identified through the images from the banks’ security cameras.
