Some AirPods. Two simple wireless headphones. And the signal they gave. This was the trigger for an event that on September 11 took place in a frenetic manner in different parts of the Costa del Sol.. A double kidnapping, as bizarre as it was spectacular, in which 13 individuals – mostly of French nationality, although there were also some Cameroonians – were arrested for allegedly searching for, holding and beating the thief who supposedly entered the house they had rented to steal 25 watches, Gucci suits and other valuables.

The beginning and end of this case, investigated by the Organized Crime Section of the Drug and Organized Crime Unit (Udyco) of the Málaga and Fuengirola police stations, was in a rental house located in the El Higuerón area.. This home was where on September 9 an individual of Moroccan origin was allegedly robbed, who is believed to have had a copy of the entry key because none of the accesses had been forced, sources close to the case informed El Confidencial.. The man supposedly waited for it to be empty and, once inside, he took a box in which a large number of watches that – at first glance – seemed high-end, as well as designer clothing and various electronic devices, were kept..

What the criminal did not know is that he had just robbed a group of dangerous elements who had rented that property to spend a few days on the Malaga coast.. A boldness that would end up paying, because in his loot he included some AirPods that he took when he was searching the property.. Police sources explained that the victims activated the geolocation system of these devices and managed to find out where they were.. But instead of going to the National Police and filing a complaint so that the agents could act, they decided to recover their belongings the hard way..

On September 11, they got into several vehicles and traveled to the point in the municipality of Benalmádena where the signal located the headphones.. The individual who had them, upon seeing himself surrounded by almost a dozen guys with not very good intentions, told them that he had bought them from an acquaintance in the Fuengirola municipality, without giving much more information.. These explanations were considered insufficient, so they decided to take him by force and take his car..

The man was intimidated and beaten during a trip in which they demanded that he make an appointment with the person who had supposedly sold him the devices.. The kidnapped person called the alleged thief by phone and they made an appointment in a bar in Fuengirola, the aforementioned sources stated..

Security cameras captured the moment of the encounter. In the images, to which this newspaper has had access, the alleged thief is seen sitting in a chair on the local outdoor terrace.. Suddenly, he is surrounded by at least seven individuals who begin to argue with him ostentatiously.. Gesturing with his arms and with an angry attitude that makes other customers of the establishment choose to leave.

While the group was being led to their main objective, the man who had led them there took advantage of those moments of tension and nervousness to break free and escape.. Moment from which a tour began with different stops in which the captors tried to recover the goods that had been stolen from them..

Beating to make him confess

The subsequent reconstruction carried out by those responsible for the case with its protagonists concluded that the victim was allegedly taken to the El Higuerón home, where he allegedly received a beating to make him reveal where he had hidden the stolen objects two days before..

The man finally confessed that part of the loot was in his home, so his alleged kidnappers took him to that point in Fuengirola.. At the home, apparently, the criminals recovered the watches. Later, they took their victim back to the rental house, where they continued to intimidate him to keep talking..

The National Police learned of what happened around 5:00 p.m., when a telephone call from a citizen reported the kidnapping and offered details about the vehicles used by the organized group..

A patrol vehicle from the Citizen Security Brigade located several of them when they were traveling through the town of Fuengirola and intercepted them at the moment they were about to access a building.. When the agents were identifying the suspects, they realized that among these people was the kidnapped person.. As they later learned, he was being transferred to another location after being forced to stay with a third individual whom the detainees believed was also related to the robbery they had suffered..

In that first police intervention, nine people were arrested, to whom others would be added over the hours, such as those arrested at night in Marbella when they were driving one of the cars used in the succession of criminal acts..

In total, 13 arrests were made, including that of the second kidnapped person, the alleged thief, who was accused of robbery with force.. The rest face charges of illegal detention, robbery with violence, burglary, injuries and membership in a criminal group.. Accusations that, in addition to the testimonies of the two victims, are supported by scientific evidence, such as the discovery of a fingerprint in the house of the second kidnapped person..

During the searches carried out, 25 watches were seized – many of them counterfeit luxury models -, mobile phones and 4,800 euros in cash.. The sources consulted stated that, after being brought to justice, all those arrested were released with charges pending the investigation of the case..