The 'Route 66' of robberies: thieves who triggered alarms in jewelry stores throughout Catalonia are arrested

BarcelonaJewelers in Catalonia have a WhatsApp group which has been buzzing in recent days. Photos of two men on a shopping spree across the country have been circulating. They entered a shop in Manresa on March 17th. The owners describe them as "polite and friendly," saying they wanted to buy jewelry for their parents. They spoke Spanish and English. As the jeweler displayed all the pieces on the table, they surreptitiously—as can be seen in the video—started taking jewelry. While one looked, asked questions, or tried on a piece, the other would grab it. "I didn't notice anything. And when I watch the video, I don't understand how I didn't see it," admits the woman who served them.

Finally, they asked for three pieces to be gift-wrapped, assuring everyone they would buy them. They said they were running some orders and would be back. But they never returned. That's when the owners started the WhatsApp group. Members of the Catalan Jewelers Association, with over 300 members, spotted the same men they had served, the same men the jewelry stores had warned were attempting to rob them. In total, two gold chains and five gold rings were stolen from the Manresa store. They were valued at €11,000. The jewelry store lamented the sky-high price of gold and said that each robbery they suffer is a difficult obstacle to overcome.

Route through Catalonia

The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) have arrested two thieves in Figueres after an intensive investigation. They weren't carrying any jewelry. Aged 28 and 24, they are not well-known to the police, as only one has two prior convictions, neither for theft. Although they are only accused of one completed robbery—the jewelry store robbery in Manresa—they traveled throughout Catalonia attempting to commit robberies, according to a WhatsApp group. It prevented greater harm.

Everything happened in just a few days. First, they went to Tortosa, where they attempted a robbery: they were detected before they could carry it out. On the same day they robbed in Manresa, they also tried in Igualada and Sant Vicenç de Castellet. Not all the victims have filed reports—since the robberies weren't completed—which makes it difficult to establish a trail of the places they visited. However, the police also have evidence that they may have gone to jewelry stores in Amposta, Lloret de Mar, and Barcelona. Furthermore, it's possible they were also seen at a jewelry store in Tàrrega.