The National Police and the Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested four individuals accused of committing violent robberies against digital content creators in several cities, including Badalona and Terrassa.
Officers from the National Police and the Mossos d'Esquadra have dismantled a criminal organization that was dedicated to violently and intimidatingly robbing digital content creators. Four individuals have been arrested, two of whom have been remanded in custody, for their alleged involvement in at least four assaults that occurred in Madrid, Coslada, Badalona, and Terrassa.
The investigation began last year after receiving several anonymous reports pointing to a similar modus operandi. According to police sources, the gang rented properties to film music videos and lured victims under the pretext of participating in an audiovisual production. Once inside, two members of the gang, with their faces covered by balaclavas, scarves, and even balloons, awaited the content creators.
The assailants displayed firearms and knives to intimidate their victims, whom they gagged and tied up while demanding access codes to their mobile phones and online banking. In this way, they managed to cause economic damages exceeding €70,000.
After obtaining the loot, the criminals left the scene, leaving the victims tied up, with the warning that they could free themselves after a couple of hours and retrieve their devices, which were left in a bin on the street. During the searches conducted, officers seized 13 kilos of hashish, over €20,000 in cash, clothing used to conceal their appearance, ten mobile phones, an electric stun gun, and a vehicle used in the assaults.
The detainees, three of whom are in Madrid and one in A Coruña, are accused of crimes including organized crime, robbery with violence and intimidation, illegal detention, kidnapping, and bodily harm. The operation has been coordinated between both police forces, and further arrests are not ruled out.
The robberies in Badalona and Terrassa, both in the province of Barcelona, have caused alarm among content creators in the area, who see such crimes as a direct threat to their professional activities. Authorities recommend exercising extreme caution when arranging appointments for filming or photo sessions, especially if they take place in unfamiliar locations or with people without references.
The investigation remains open to determine if the gang could be implicated in other similar incidents. The two detainees who have been remanded in custody did so by judicial order, while the other two have been released with charges.
You may also like
