As the year draws to a close, there are more and more "small actions" of thieves. Seville, which has been frequently reported for theft this year, has recently become a "pickpocket concentration camp", and Asian tourists are their focus.
Stolen while taking photos on a tour, the thief "reached out"?
Zhang Youjun, a Chinese student who recently traveled to Seville, took a photo in the local Plaza de España, and was stolen from his entire backpack without paying attention. In an interview with the European Times, she said that the day of the crime was December 5, "I put my pink backpack on the ground, got a tripod next to it and prepared to take a picture, and in the blink of an eye, the bag was stolen." At that time, the mobile phone wallet was inside, and only a mobile phone without a sim card was almost out of power. ”
"I shouted for help and soon a couple and two Peruvian girls came to help me," she said. At that time, there were not many people, but because the square was too big and useless, they accompanied me to find the staff to find the police, but this kind of daily occurrence was really commonplace to them, and they didn't hurry to fill in the information..."
In desperation, she had to return to the square to continue to "find a needle in a haystack", asking the vendors and street performers about the situation. They say they see thieves stealing things every day, and when they take what they need, they leave their bags in the surrounding parks and grass. So, Young Jun turned around the neighborhood, trying to try his luck. As a result, I met two men, "They saw my expression and asked me if I had been stolen, and I said yes, they said they were also thieves, and they wanted me to calmly listen to them and tell me that after stealing, I would indeed leave the bag around, but not necessarily where to throw it." Later, the two enthusiastic thieves took her around and said that they would help her keep an eye on the whereabouts of the pink backpack next.
Unfortunately, in the end, the backpack was not found. Penniless, she asked nearby Chinese tourists to borrow mobile phones to log on to WeChat, contacted relatives in China, asked them to help freeze domestic credit cards and Spanish bank cards, and then went to newsstands to borrow mobile phone chargers and hotspots, and went to nearby Chinese shops to borrow euros in cash (repay the money with WeChat and Alipay)...
She finally sighed: "I am very grateful for the powerful transfer function of WeChat and Alipay, fortunately we live in a powerful Internet era, fortunately, Chinese all over the world!" ”
Pickpockets pile up in Plaza de España and fight with illegal vendors
In fact, as You jun said, burglaries of Chinese tourists like this happen every day in Seville. The Seville Daily reported that many of the local tourist attractions are the most popular places for pickpockets, and Plaza de España has been the most popular place for pickpockets in recent years, because it is a must for Chinese tour groups.
Pickpockets usually stand guard at the Puerta de Aragón and when the tour group arrives, they approach them skillfully, skillfully opening their bags and stealing their wallets, cell phones, cameras, watches and other valuables. Basically, before the tourists could reach Plaza de España, the pickpockets had already opened several bags. Even if you don't succeed, you can do it again in Plaza de España. And the first shot may have opened the tourist's bag, if the tourist is not aware, then the next is more likely to get it.
Pickpockets in Plaza de España have always been so severe that thieves are quickly released even if they are caught, and stolen property is generally difficult to recover. Interestingly, illegal hawkers in the square often clashed physically with these pickpockets. They said the pickpockets attracted more police (affecting the hawkers' business) and they should pay the price.
Six "Thieves' Meccas" in the City Center
In addition to Plaza de España, the La Maestranza Theater in the center of Seville, the Murillo Garden, the Puerta del Perdón de la Catedral (Parc de La Catedral), the Santa Cruz neighborhood and the entrance to the Real Alcázar are also "thieves' sanctuaries".
Near the La Maestranza Theater, pickpockets would sit next to the statue of Mozart, pretending to look at maps or playing with their phones while waiting for a tour group from China or other Asian countries to arrive. The same is true at Murillo Gardens, which is the stopover for tour buses.
At the gates of forgiveness in cathedrals, there are also many thieves. It is a must for visitors to the church to leave, and it is also a stopover for many British and American tourists (they participate in free tours, do not enter the church, and listen to guided tours outside). And the women there who try to sell rosemary to tourists give pickpockets a natural cover.
Many of the pickpockets who burglarized at the entrance to the Royal Palace of Seville came from Madrid, and they shifted their positions mainly because the local penalties for burglary were light and it was easier to move around in the area of historic attractions.
Thieves shift positions and open up "new markets"
Of course, the police in Seville are not "vegetarians", not only strengthening the police force to maintain law and order in several historical attraction areas, but also destroying a "biker party" Grupo Hércules that specializes in robbing in the city center, seizing more than 12 motorcycles. But the thieves would not give up on this. Police found that the pickpockets had begun to shift their positions and open up "new markets", with multiple thefts in recent days near Canalejas Street (especially between Marqués de Paradas and Arjona) and around Plaza Armas.
Despite the theft by locals in Seville, most of the victims were Asian tourists. Although these areas are not typical tourist areas, there are many Chinese restaurants. Many Chinese tour buses generally arrive at Arjona Avenue and stop in front of barranco market. Chinese tourists get off the bus and eat at a nearby Chinese restaurant. Pickpockets often try to get close to Chinese tourists in the process and prey on them. The crime is usually committed between 12:00 noon and 13:00 and between 6:00 and 7:00 pm.
The pickpockets are basically Romanian and belong to multiple criminal organizations that have been entrenched in the city for many years. They tend to prey on Asian tourists, especially Chinese and Japanese.
(Yi Braised recommended, the article comes from Yi Riong's small partner "Xiwen SpainZone", author: Shen Bao, please indicate when reprinting.) ）