Nine arrested over violent street robberies in South Tenerife

The Guardia Civil have arrested nine people, including seven teenagers, in connection with a series of violent street robberies in San Isidro, in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona, South Tenerife.

The suspects are accused of carrying out five robberies, targeting people wearing gold chains and necklaces, which were forcibly snatched from their necks before the offenders fled.

The investigation began after police received several complaints about similar incidents taking place during the afternoon in San Isidro.

According to the victims, the suspects operated in groups of between two and five young people. They would approach their targets, violently pull the jewellery from their necks and quickly escape.

Stolen jewellery sold to gold dealers

Investigators from the Guardia Civil's Granadilla de Abona unit established that the stolen items were allegedly being sold to local gold-buying businesses.

The jewellery included gold chains, crucifixes and rings, with officers using information gathered during the investigation and assistance from members of the public to identify those believed to be responsible.

Police have managed to recover some of the stolen jewellery, with several items identified by their rightful owners or returned to them.

Five teenagers placed in detention

The investigation eventually led officers to identify, find and arrest all nine suspects.

Of those detained, seven are under the age of 18, while the remaining two are adults.

Following their arrest, the suspects were referred to the relevant judicial authorities, who ordered that five of the teenagers be placed in a juvenile detention centre.