A young Moroccan man was arrested in Almuñécar for allegedly snatching handbags in two separate attacks.

The 21-year-old man, who has a criminal record, reportedly carried out the first robbery on the 14th of this month at 08.45h as the victim was walking along Calle Baracoa.

The man approached the victim riding a bicycle, yanking the bag from the woman’s shoulder and made off with 140 euros and her mobile phone, say the Guardia Civil.

The victim was able to give a description of her assailant; he was wearing a brown jacket and a woolen cap.

This description fitted a second attack, just three hours later, at 11.15h, on the Paseo del Altillo. An eyewitness phoned the police to say how he/she had seen the man make off in the direction of the night bars below the paseo.

The witness described him as being approximately 1,85m tall and with long curly hair.

A GC patrol car was dispatched to search the Altillo area as far as Puerta del Mar, which was where they found the suspect. His physical description and attire fitted the information given by the witness and victims.

Searching the man they found the mobile phone belonging to the first victim, so he was arrested and taken into custody.

The second victim was found in the Medical Centre, where she was being attended by the injuries caused in the struggle to hang onto her bag.

She explained how he had been following her for several minutes, crossing the road when she did, until he was finally close enough to make a move on her handbag.

The man was brought before the duty magistrate and was remanded to Albolote Prison near Granada, pending trial.

(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)