A 45-year-old man arrested in Jávea allegedly stole jewellery from elderly women by getting them to trust him enough to let him into their homes, according to the Guardia Civil.
The suspect, who made more than €6,700 from selling the jewellery to various gold dealer shops, is accused of six counts of theft and one of fraud.
The investigation began when a woman residing in Jávea reported that someone had entered the home of her 72-year-old mother and stolen various jewellery made of gold.
By questioning people close to the victim, officers found six other victims, who described the thief as a middle-aged man who was known to all of them and had gained their trust to get into their homes.
Officers made various enquiries, including searches of various gold dealer shops, where they discovered numerous transactions made by a man who matched the victims’ description and proved he had sold the stolen jewellery.
The victims recognised 23 pieces of stolen gold jewellery which the suspect had sold to the gold dealers for a total of €6,763.
The officers managed to stop three of these from being melted down, which were worth €435 and were returned to their owners.
The suspect was put before a court in Denia and released on bail subject to precautionary measures.
The investigation remains open as the Guardia Civil have not ruled out finding more victims, since the suspect also sold other jewellery that they have not yet established how he acquired.
