Three foreign nationals who stole large sums of money through pickpocketing in Reykjavík in December have been deported, reports RÚV. Police say they came to Iceland specifically to engage in criminal activity.
The individuals, two men and one woman, arrived in Iceland together on December 15 and were arrested three days later on suspicion of theft. This was confirmed by Gunnar Rúnar Sveinbjörnsson, communications officer for the Capital Area Police.
“We believe they came here specifically to engage in criminal activity, and they were arrested in Reykjavík three days after arriving. By that time, these offences were already under investigation,” Gunnar said.
The three were held in pre-trial detention from the time of their arrest until they were deported before the end of the year.
In one case, the suspects stole cash, in another, they obtained a person’s PIN by looking over their shoulder in a shop before stealing the individual’s payment card and emptying the account.
“These were substantial sums in both cases — several hundred thousand krónur each time,” Gunnar adds.
Gunnar said both offences were connected to grocery stores in Reykjavík and noted that pickpocketing had been particularly prevalent over the past year.
“These are crimes we have been seeing in the Capital Region for several years now. Pickpockets have been active. These offences are linked to grocery stores, where the thieves essentially waited for people. We have been seeing more of this in recent years,” he said.
Last summer, the Grapevine reported on an increase in cases where pickpockets targeted tourists. Watchtowers installed in downtown Reykjavík are believed to have contributed to a drop in pickpocketing incidents.