A DRUG addict, aged 35, recently caused panic in Faro, when within the space of two weeks, he robbed more than a dozen people, the majority of them women on their own, threatening them with a syringe and claiming to have Aids. He stole cash and mobile phones. Police have now caught and charged the man, who is in prison awaiting trial.
One of the victims, a 22-year-old woman, told a national newspaper that the thief struck when she had just finished parking her car in Parque de S. Francisco, at 10.30pm. The man opened the passenger door and climbed in next to her, telling her he was a drug addict with Aids and demanding she hand over her purse and mobile phone, or she would regret it if she did not co-operate. The victim handed over cash and her phone immediately and the man disappeared.
Many of his victims were able to provide a detailed description of the man, which assisted the police in their investigation. It has emerged that the thief was known to the authorities as a drug addict. When apprehended, the man had a stolen mobile phone in his possession and denied having Aids.
