Overview
- Investigators launched the case in August after multiple complaints and linked five incidents in Parla to two similar cases in Almería.
- Officers arrested one suspect in flagrante on August 20 while he staged a repair for an octogenarian, then detained two alleged accomplices hours later as they tried to leave their lodging.
- Searches of the escape vehicle and accommodation turned up tools, counterfeit parts, mechanic overalls, brand labels and cash used to lend credibility to the scheme.
- The three suspects, Peruvian nationals aged 33 to 38, face charges of belonging to a criminal organization, fraud and offenses against road safety.
- Victims were stopped and told of a fabricated wheel problem before a sham repair was performed and large cash payments were demanded, sometimes after accompanying victims to nearby banks.