The so-called ‘love hug’ robberies are on the rise in Spain, where members of the public are being targeted by thieves pretending to be acquianted with their victims
A couple has been arrested after embarking on an alleged “love hug” robbery spree during which elderly people had belongings taken after being embraced.
Spain’s Policia Nacional said it had arrested two people, aged 26 and 30, who had moved through different areas of the Costa Blanca and Valencia provinces in the country’s southeast while pulling off robberies using disarming tactics.
The two, the service said, had targeted elderly people and, acting as if they knew then, welcomed them for an embrace or kiss. They would use the underhand tactics to snatch their victims’ bags, jewellery and wallets, but would turn to violence if they were denied the goods.
READ MORE: European ‘popcorn beach’ labelled ‘most bizarre’ reaches 24C in November with £36 return flightsREAD MORE: Burglar caught red-handed carrying huge stolen TV down street in broad daylight
The Olive Press reports that police said the couple had committed up to 10 thefts in Alicante alone, with a further three in the Valencia area between February and June this year.
They reportedly committed the robberies after travelling from a base in Santa Coloma de Gramanet in Barcelona, making special trips around Spain to find victims.
The property, which was raided by police, contained jewellery, cash and other objects, with photos showing the haul included well over €1,000 (£882). The recovered jewellery, investigators said, suggested that they may have had a hand in several unrecorded robberies, with some of the items not matching crime reports.
Love hug crime reports have been on the rise across Spain in recent years. In a separate incident, two women aged 29 and 26 were arrested while attempting the tactic in 2024.
The arrest on December 2 that year prevented the theft of a 70-year-old man’s gold chain, which he was wearing around his neck when the two allegedly descended on the man. But, rather than feign familiarity with the older man, they approached him in the middle of the street and offered him sex.
One hugger tried to take the jewellery but was noticed by police while attempting to extract it. Officers then stepped in and prevented the theft, later finding that one of the unidentified detainees had previously been involved in similar crimes.
In one of the most expensive robberies of its type in 2023, it was reported that police had arrested another 24-year-old woman who used the tactic to rob a victim of their €25,000 (£22,067) watch.