Two men, aged 57 and 58, have been arrested by the Public Security Police (PSP) on suspicion of committing mobile phone theft inside public transport in the Misericórdia parish of Lisbon.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Lisbon Metropolitan Command of the PSP revealed that the theft took place in broad daylight at 11:00 a.m. at the tram 15 stop in Cais do Sodré.
Investigators from F3C, the PSP’s special unit dedicated to combating pickpockets, observed the duo approaching a stop crowded with tourists and, in a swift maneuver characteristic of these criminals’ modus operandi, followed a tourist onto the tram.
“While one of the pickpockets stood at the tram door to cover the act, the other, pressed against the tourist’s back, opened her bag and stole a mobile phone without even boarding, leaving before the doors closed,” stated the PSP.
The suspects were immediately apprehended by the officers who witnessed the theft, and the mobile phone, valued at 310 euros, was returned to the tourist, who continued her journey unaware she had been robbed, being contacted later.
The two pickpockets were already identified and noted for this type of crime. One suspect has a “long history” and has already served “several prison sentences for this kind of offense.”
In addition to this theft, the police collected evidence linking the two men to a total of six aggravated thefts, all occurring on public transport.
Among these thefts, three were co-perpetrated by the two, accumulating goods worth 1,785 euros.
The detainees were brought before the Central Criminal Investigation Judge for an initial hearing. One suspect is under the coercive measure of weekly appearances at his local police station, while the other is subjected to the stricter measure of pre-trial detention.
