Serpo
19th November 2013, 02:46 PM
'Trojan horse' thieves are hiding INSIDE suitcases to get into coaches' luggage holds and steal from tourists' bags, warn Spanish police
Officers say contortionists hide inside luggage
Holidaymakers only realise when they reach their hotels
Pickpockets also distract victims to take their valuables
By Emma Thomas (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Emma+Thomas)
PUBLISHED: 10:22 GMT, 19 November 2013 | UPDATED: 13:15 GMT, 19 November 2013
Travellers have been told to look out for thieves hiding in luggage while on holiday.
Spanish police are warning tourists of contortionists that tuck themselves inside suitcases to carry out the 'Trojan Horse' robberies.
Officers say crooks, often acting with an accomplice, board buses in the luggage hold then creep out with a torch during the journey to rifle through people's bags.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/11/19/article-2509778-1980FEAA00000578-281_634x514.jpg Tight fit: Police found a thief in this suitcase in 2011
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/11/19/article-2509778-0574AE4A0000044D-367_306x423.jpg Luggage: The contortionist wriggled inside the suitcase to conceal himself before crawling out and stealing valuables (file picture)
Officers are telling people travelling to the country to look out for this type of sneak thief as well as pickpockets that distract victims by telling them they have bird droppings on their clothes, the Times reports.
In a scheme inspired by the film Ocean's Eleven, which sees one of the gang hide in a trolley to steal from a casino, the thief crawls out of the suitcase while in transit and takes laptops, cash and other belongings.
A spokesman for the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan regional police, said: 'The Trojan horse version is rare but happens, but the way pickpockets pretend tourists have bird mess on their clothes is far more common. We advise tourists leave all valuables at their hotel and be vigilant.'
In 2011, Spanish police arrested a flexible thief who had hidden inside a suitcase to steal valuables.
The 5ft 9in (1.78m) contortionist pinched valuables including laptop computers from the baggage compartment during an hour-long journey.
He then clambered back inside his 90cmx50cm case, and was later collected at his destination by his partner in crime.
Holidaymakers only realised their things were missing when they arrived at their hotels and opened their bags.
For weeks detectives were baffled as to how so many items were being regularly stolen on the bus route between Girona airport and Barcelona, in Catalonia, north east Spain.
More...
The fake locksmith sticker that could mark you for burglary: Thieves identify vulnerable homes in 'sophisticated new scam' (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2509221/Burglars-target-homes-marked-stickers-scouts-check-streets-easy-targets.html)
Million-to-one bookies raid: Separate gangs of thieves target same shop in Manchester within just five minutes (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2509696/Million-bookies-raid-Separate-gangs-thieves-target-shop-Manchester-just-minutes.html)
Then they were alerted by a suspicious member of the public to a large suitcase that had just been loaded on the bus.
When they opened it up the shocked officers found the man curled up inside.
Police said: 'It was a very unusual modus operandi.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/11/19/article-2509778-1980FEA600000578-981_634x364.jpg Airport: Police were baffled as to how valuables were going missing between Girona Airport and Barcelona
'One of the men bought a bus ticket from Girona airport to Barcelona, then put a large suitcase in the baggage hold with the other passengers' luggage.
'A second person had hidden inside the suitcase, and when the bus set off he got out of the suitcase and, using a torch, looked for valuable objects in the rest of the bags, which he then hid inside a smaller bag.
'After stealing those goods he hid back in the large suitcase for the rest of the journey.
'Last Friday the officers went to inspect a suspect suitcase and they found a man hidden inside, in the style of a contortionist.'
At the time, a police spokesman joked: 'I believe this is what the British call an open-and-shut case.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2509778/Beware-Trojan-horse-thieves-Spanish-police-warn-robbers-hide-suitcases-steal-luggage.html#ixzz2l8OHBSts
Officers say contortionists hide inside luggage
Holidaymakers only realise when they reach their hotels
Pickpockets also distract victims to take their valuables
By Emma Thomas (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Emma+Thomas)
PUBLISHED: 10:22 GMT, 19 November 2013 | UPDATED: 13:15 GMT, 19 November 2013
Travellers have been told to look out for thieves hiding in luggage while on holiday.
Spanish police are warning tourists of contortionists that tuck themselves inside suitcases to carry out the 'Trojan Horse' robberies.
Officers say crooks, often acting with an accomplice, board buses in the luggage hold then creep out with a torch during the journey to rifle through people's bags.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/11/19/article-2509778-1980FEAA00000578-281_634x514.jpg Tight fit: Police found a thief in this suitcase in 2011
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/11/19/article-2509778-0574AE4A0000044D-367_306x423.jpg Luggage: The contortionist wriggled inside the suitcase to conceal himself before crawling out and stealing valuables (file picture)
Officers are telling people travelling to the country to look out for this type of sneak thief as well as pickpockets that distract victims by telling them they have bird droppings on their clothes, the Times reports.
In a scheme inspired by the film Ocean's Eleven, which sees one of the gang hide in a trolley to steal from a casino, the thief crawls out of the suitcase while in transit and takes laptops, cash and other belongings.
A spokesman for the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan regional police, said: 'The Trojan horse version is rare but happens, but the way pickpockets pretend tourists have bird mess on their clothes is far more common. We advise tourists leave all valuables at their hotel and be vigilant.'
In 2011, Spanish police arrested a flexible thief who had hidden inside a suitcase to steal valuables.
The 5ft 9in (1.78m) contortionist pinched valuables including laptop computers from the baggage compartment during an hour-long journey.
He then clambered back inside his 90cmx50cm case, and was later collected at his destination by his partner in crime.
Holidaymakers only realised their things were missing when they arrived at their hotels and opened their bags.
For weeks detectives were baffled as to how so many items were being regularly stolen on the bus route between Girona airport and Barcelona, in Catalonia, north east Spain.
More...
The fake locksmith sticker that could mark you for burglary: Thieves identify vulnerable homes in 'sophisticated new scam' (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2509221/Burglars-target-homes-marked-stickers-scouts-check-streets-easy-targets.html)
Million-to-one bookies raid: Separate gangs of thieves target same shop in Manchester within just five minutes (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2509696/Million-bookies-raid-Separate-gangs-thieves-target-shop-Manchester-just-minutes.html)
Then they were alerted by a suspicious member of the public to a large suitcase that had just been loaded on the bus.
When they opened it up the shocked officers found the man curled up inside.
Police said: 'It was a very unusual modus operandi.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/11/19/article-2509778-1980FEA600000578-981_634x364.jpg Airport: Police were baffled as to how valuables were going missing between Girona Airport and Barcelona
'One of the men bought a bus ticket from Girona airport to Barcelona, then put a large suitcase in the baggage hold with the other passengers' luggage.
'A second person had hidden inside the suitcase, and when the bus set off he got out of the suitcase and, using a torch, looked for valuable objects in the rest of the bags, which he then hid inside a smaller bag.
'After stealing those goods he hid back in the large suitcase for the rest of the journey.
'Last Friday the officers went to inspect a suspect suitcase and they found a man hidden inside, in the style of a contortionist.'
At the time, a police spokesman joked: 'I believe this is what the British call an open-and-shut case.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2509778/Beware-Trojan-horse-thieves-Spanish-police-warn-robbers-hide-suitcases-steal-luggage.html#ixzz2l8OHBSts