A gang of robbers who preyed on foreign drivers has been arrested by the Guardia Civil. The modus operandi was to target foreign travellers parked in the rest areas of autovias and autopistas.

The three men, aged between 23 and 54, are thought to have been responsible for several such robberies on these kinds of roads where they pass through Toledo, Cuenca, Cuidad Real, Cáceres, Segovia and Soria.

The police operation began in April when a rise in robberies in rest areas of the A-4 (main traffic artery for Andalucía) and A-5 (main traffic artery for Extremadura) was detected.

They would locate a parked car with a foreign number plate and then puncture a tyre and then wait for the owner to return. When the owner did, they would offer to help him change the flat, but in reality would take advantage of the driver being distracted to snatch belongings from the car.

A number of Gazette readers have similar tales to tell about this modern form of highway robbery .

(News: Toledo, Castilla La Mancha, Spain)