Two Romanian men, aged 28 and 32, are suspected of dozens of crimes in the Algarve, including the theft of articles from golf clubs and stealing bank cards, later withdrawing cash.One of the men would stand behind a target at supermarket check-out and observe the PIN number being entered into the machine.
Crimes following this pattern had been recorded in Vilamoura, Albufeira, Lagoa and Almancil
On the way out of supermarkets and shopping malls, one of the men would engage the target in conversation while the other, skilled in pick-pocketing techniques, stole the bank card which later was used for withdrawing money and buying luxury items.
According to the GNR, the Romanians acquired €120,000 worth of goods by using these stolen bank cards.
The pair was arrested on May 3rd after their car was tracked and intercepted in the Ourique area by officers from the Criminal Investigation Centre in Loulé, with the support of the Traffic Detachment of Albufeira and the GNR in Ourique.
The criminal activities of the two men had, "a high level of organisation," according to the GNR which noted the pair operated in the country for "short periods of time" in order to reduce the likelihood of being identified and caught.
The GNR seized the car and found three luxury watches, worth €90,000, stolen bank cards, several items of clothing valued at €1,000, a pair of sun-glasses and a GPS device.
The two men are linked to crimes committed in the areas of Vilamoura, Albufeira, Lagoa and Almancil. They were careful to immediately dispose of stolen goods and illicitly acquired products with cards out of Portugal.
