Two elderly people have been victims this weekend in Pamplona of a robbery by the hug method, as reported by the Pamplona Municipal Police through their Twitter account.
According to the Police, both robberies occurred this Saturday and in both cases the perpetrator of the crime was a woman. The police force asks that the elderly be warned “not to trust strangers” and not to accept hugs from strangers. “A greeting, a smile, but nothing more”, they wrote in a tweet and added: “Many times the pain is not due to the economic value of the object but rather the sentimental value”
The ruse, which has been widespread throughout Spain for a long time, consists of the thief approaching a passerby, usually an elderly person, with the excuse of asking him something and, immediately afterwards, asking him for a hug to thank him. At that precise moment he takes the opportunity to perpetrate the theft: with a quick and discreet movement he seizes some valuable personal item, such as a wallet or jewelry.
Regarding the modus operandi, it is common for the victims not to realize the theft until a few hours have passed, enough time for the thieves to leave the place and be away. The thieves usually go in groups of two people -sometimes also accompanied by a minor- and some even use a car to quickly escape from the place.
For its part, and as a preventive measure, the National Police holds talks in associations and centers for the elderly throughout Spain, an initiative within the framework of the Greater Security Plan that is carried out at the national level by the different delegations of Citizen Participation.
In the talks, safety advice is also given and the participation of the attendees is facilitated, as well as the most used criminal methods are staged with them and real cases that the elderly have suffered recently are exposed so that they really know the dangers they face. are exposed.
