The National Police have thwarted a mass mobile phone theft by intercepting a vehicle in Alcobendas carrying 44 stolen terminals. The devices, originating from the recent patron saint festivals in Vitoria-Gasteiz, were wrapped in aluminum foil to evade tracking. The operation resulted in the arrest of the five individuals traveling in the car.
The preventive checkpoint was conducted in the early morning, around 05:30 on August 5th, as part of specific prevention operations deployed by the National Police to curb summer thefts. Officers stopped a suspicious vehicle in Alcobendas. The unusual nervousness displayed by the occupants upon being ordered to stop raised the officers' suspicions, leading them to conduct a thorough search of the vehicle.
Inside the trunk, 44 mobile terminals were found, carefully wrapped in aluminum foil, a technique aimed at blocking electromagnetic signals to hinder geolocation. Despite this method, most devices were powered on, although all lacked SIM cards. Among the occupants' belongings, over 250 euros in cash, a credit card not associated with any of them, and two packages of aluminum foil similar to that used for the smartphones were discovered.
Subsequent investigations linked the thefts to the patron saint festivals in Vitoria-Gasteiz, held on August 4th. Several of the recovered phones belonged to residents of that city, and it was confirmed that at least 23 criminal incidents had been formally reported.
The five detainees, three men and two women, were not carrying identification and were traveling in a vehicle registered to a third party. They provided incoherent explanations regarding the origin of the phones and were arrested as alleged perpetrators of theft, then handed over to judicial authority.
Authorities emphasize the importance of citizen reporting and keeping mobile device IMEI numbers readily available to assist police work in case of theft, especially during large public events.
