By ELOISE WALTON
An elderly British couple has been robbed at gun point in their holiday apartment in Vilamoura by three masked men.
The woman answered a call at the front door of the property at around 8.30pm on January 21 to find three masked men pointing a gun at her.
She told the Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã (CM): “When I saw them, I started to scream with fear. They tried to shut me up by covering my mouth with a hand, but I didn’t stop.”
She added that one of the robbers put a scarf in her mouth to stop her from screaming.
A spokesman from the Home Owners Association Condominium of the Old Village complex, where the incident happened, told the Algarve Resident that upon entering the property, two men pushed the woman into the bathroom before a third man entered the apartment carrying a handgun which he held to the man’s head.
“The assailants took the couple’s watches, mobile telephones, a necklace, cash from his wallet to the value of approximately 200 euros and a plasma TV,” said the spokesman.
He added that a few minutes after the robbers left, the man called security and the authorities arrived around 10 minutes later.
“The Old Village has a complex system of 16 cameras and 24-hour manned security cover, as well as a patrol vehicle,” said the spokesman.
A spokesman from the British Embassy in Lisbon said that they had not been contacted for assistance by the couple.
Similar cases
In a separate incident, an elderly Portuguese lady was robbed at her home in Vale da Venda, Loulé, by three men on Monday.
The woman told CM that the robbery took place at around 8.15pm. She said that she was gagged by the men, one of whom had a gun and they asked her for money and gold before leaving with 900 euros.
On the same evening, at around 11pm, a lorry driver was also robbed by an armed trio while on his way home along the road between Luz de Tavira and Santo Estevão.
The robbers made off with the man’s wallet, which contained around 800 euros.
A spokesman for the GNR told the Algarve Resident: “The Polícia Judiciária is now investigating these cases because a fire arm was involved.”
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