Spanish police have warned British holidaymakers to be on their guard against a gang of revolting thieves who spit on their victims and then distract them by offering to help clean them up.
Detectives have published footage of the bag snatchers at work, showing the ruse involving two men working together to target a blonde woman and a young traveller.
Both incidents occurred on Barcelona’s metro system.
In one, a man in a black baseball cap is filmed spitting on the woman from behind as she buys a tube ticket and then offering to clear up the saliva he has left in her hair.
She is seen turning round virtually instantly after feeling something hit her, but the cunning criminal is ready for her reaction and already has his back to her before putting up his Good Samaritan pretence.
Both incidents occurred on Barcelona’s metro system. A blonde woman was targeted by the spit and then rob technique. The man can be seen cleaning off the spit
In the second incident a young traveller is targeted. The man spits on him and an accomplice then sweeps in
His accomplice, wearing a white baseball cap, moves in as the spitter wipes away the saliva and makes sure she takes her eye off a rucksack she has left on the ground that she was previously holding close to her chest.
Once his accomplice has snatched the holdall he makes signs as if to say his train is arriving and vanishes, leaving the female victim to realise she has been the target of clever con artists when it is already too late.
The second incident released by police is a close repeat of the revolting tactic, with a young man travelling lighter with a small suitcase and a laptop being the victim.
A man believed to be the same person who targeted the woman approaches him on a Barcelona tube station platform and spits into the back of his hoodie.
He then turns his back to the traveller before he can work out who aimed something he feels on the back of his neck at him and what it is.
In the moments ensuing the ambush the victim takes his eye off his belongings for the seconds an accomplice needs to take his laptop as his aggressor plays the role of sympathiser and offers to wipe up the mess.
A spokesman for the regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force in Catalonia, which Barcelona is part of, said in a message alongside the footage: ‘Watch out for distractions of any kind involving strangers on public transport, the street, or wherever.
The victim can be seen at the ticket machine before one of the men confronts her
The man in the baseball cap walks over and spits at her before walking off and then entering into another conversation with her
His accomplice, wearing a white baseball cap, moves in as the spitter wipes away the saliva and makes sure she takes her eye off a rucksack. Once the accomplice has snatched the holdall he makes signs as if to say his train is arriving and vanishes
‘Keep your belongings under control at all times.’
It was not immediately clear today if the gang Catalan police exposed are believed to be acting in other parts of Spain.
Barcelona’s security has been under the spotlight in recent years and it has become known as one of the most favourite destinations of professional watch thieves from places like Naples.
Tennis star Grigor Dimitrov became a victim of the gangs of designer watch muggers targeting the city in April.
The 31-year-old Bulgarian had the £62,000 timepiece ripped off his wrist in his car as he returned from training ahead of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell tournament.
The second incident released by police is a close repeat of the revolting tactic, with a young man travelling lighter with a small suitcase and a laptop being the victim
A man believed to be the same person who targeted the woman approaches him on a Barcelona tube station platform and spits into the back of his hoodie. As the man cleans off the spit, the victim takes his eye off his belongings and an accomplice takes his laptop
When the man looks down at his bag after the thieves have left he realises that his laptop has been taken and runs off
The timepiece was described as a Swiss Bianchet watch valued at 70,000 euros (£62,560).
In June last year Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel had a backpack stolen in the city.
He tried to chase down the thieves by hopping on an electric scooter after a bag was grabbed from his Aston Martin as he got out for a brief moment.
Last August Barcelona footballer Robert Lewandowski had his £59,000 watch stolen from him as he signed autographs before an evening training session at his club’s Ciutat Esportiva complex.
The striker sprinted after the culprit, who was eventually caught by police who returned the watch to the sportsman.
A month later a UK tourist was stabbed in the city, where rugby player and reality TV star Levi Davis went missing in circumstances which are still under investigation, while trying to fight off thieves who had snatched his bag.
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