Five arrested in Puerto del Rosario over alleged €34,510 fraud against a person with an intellectual disability

National Police officers have arrested five people in Puerto del Rosario over their alleged involvement in an ongoing fraud against a person with a severe intellectual disability.

Those arrested include the owner of an establishment offering sexual services, three of her employees and the holder of a bank account that received some of the money taken from the victim.

The investigation began after a relative of the victim filed a complaint and the victim later gave a statement, saying they had allegedly been financially exploited by workers at an establishment in Puerto del Rosario.

According to the investigation, the victim suffered financial losses of €34,510 as a result of various transactions, including bank transfers, card payments, cash withdrawals and payments through Bizum.

The victim told officers that workers at the establishment had allegedly made them consume alcohol and narcotic substances. This, together with their intellectual disability, is said to have left them particularly vulnerable, enabling the alleged perpetrators to direct their financial decisions and obtain money for their own benefit.

During the investigation, officers carried out a detailed analysis of bank records and requested information from several financial institutions. This enabled them to identify the account holders who received the funds and the telephone terminals linked to the transactions under investigation.

Officers also examined surveillance footage of several cash withdrawals made at bank branches. The footage showed various people accompanying the victim during the transactions. Subsequent photographic identification procedures helped investigators make progress in identifying them.

Analysis of the transactions revealed a high concentration of money movements during periods when the victim was at the establishments under investigation. Investigators identified a repeated and clearly defined pattern of behaviour, consistent with coordinated action allegedly intended to exploit the victim’s cognitive limitations, direct their financial decisions and secure an ongoing financial benefit.

As a result of the investigation, officers arrested five people, including the establishment’s owner, three employees and the holder of one of the bank accounts into which the transferred money was paid.

The detainees have been brought before the competent judicial authority. The police investigation remains open, and officers are continuing efforts to locate two other people allegedly involved.

Public cooperation

The National Police thanks the public and reminds citizens that they can help, anonymously if they wish, by providing any knowledge, evidence or suspicions of criminal activity through the ‘Colabora’ section of the National Police website. Information will be treated confidentially by National Police specialists.