Five pickpockets, four women and one man, all from the same family and who worked in groups across the country, were arrested by the PSP yesterday.
The four women, aged between 30 and 70 years, and a 45-year-old man, from North America had been under investigation by authorities since the end of 2020, when wallet theft in supermarkets, shopping centres and other stores increased, “all of which are associated with withdrawals of money and payments made with the bank cards arising from these thefts”.
The group operated with “great mobility throughout the country”, with reports of thefts between Coimbra and Tavira, passing through Leiria, Abrantes, Caldas da Rainha, Alcobaça, Faro and surrounding regions.
According to the authorities, it was with a theft that took place in a supermarket in the municipality of Amadora that the investigations began. The police gathered information over the last year that allowed the gang to be indicted in 30 wallet thefts and 13 computer scams (withdrawals of money and payments with stolen cards), causing total damage to victims of around 21,500 euros.
The group, according to the statement, was made up of suspects from the same family structure, and was led by the oldest woman who, aged 70, managed her daughters, son and granddaughters from the family home in the Palmela area of Setúbal.
In addition to the five pickpockets now arrested, two more, also from the same family, are indicted.
On Monday, three women from the group were located in the Seixal area when the authorities surprised them in full criminal activity when the three, after stealing a wallet from an elderly client inside a commercial establishment, dispersed. They went to an ATM, where they withdrew 400 euros in two transactions, fleeing the site with a vehicle and ending up being detained in the Costa da Caparica area.
Later, the authorities in possession of the arrest warrants proceeded with the arrest of two other suspects targeted in the investigation, the man in Costa da Caparica and another woman, in Sobreda da Caparica.
