BEAR-HUG MUGGERS
Bella’s in real knot Giants pounce on boozy holiday Brits
Slippers thought to be 330 years old may fetch a four-figure sum at auction in Derbyshire on Thursday after being found in the loft of a country house in Nottinghamshire.
BURST BOOZED-up Brit holidaymakers in party hotspot Magaluf are being mugged by giant 6ft 6in attackers who grab them in bear hugs to rob them.
At least three revellers say they were “nearly asphyxiated” during the attacks in the Punta Ballena area of the Mallorca resort.
One of the attackers is said to be very tall with arms “like Hercules”. He and his gang are thought to be responsible for at least 26 “bear hug” robberies last summer.
They have already started mugging this year’s holidaymakers, despite spending some time in prison.
Spanish police say they have arrested two men, both of “imposing stature”, but at least one other attacker is roaming the popular tourist destination, with three cases being investigated.
And they believe other Brits have been targeted by the same method. The victims usually spend the night downing drinks in the Magaluf bars and are pounced on while staggering back to their hotels.
The criminals approach from behind, getting them in a vice-like bear hug until they are struggling to breathe. Two men are usually involved in the attacks, while a third takes mobile phones, cash and watches from the victims.
A police spokesman said: “Everything happens so fast, and the assailants are so burly, tourists cannot offer any resistance.”