A joint investigation team comprising the Mossos d'Esquadra and the Guàrdia Urbana de Barcelona, with the collaboration of Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), has put an end to a criminal group linked to approximately twenty thefts on the public transport network of Barcelona and Terrassa. The operation, part of the Kanpai Plan, resulted in the arrest of 8 individuals across operations in the Catalan capital, its co-capital in Vallès, and Manresa.

They are linked to twelve incidents in Barcelona and four in Terrassa. According to the investigation, the arrested individuals habitually collaborated in robberies, primarily of mobile phones, wallets, and bank cards. The investigation began in the first quarter of 2026 after detecting a "high incidence of crimes" with a similar modus operandi in Sabadell and Terrassa. The group is considered dismantled, as "to date, their criminal activity has not been detected again," according to police sources.

This gang from Terrassa is one of five major organizations dismantled under the Kanpai Plan, which has investigated 136 individuals and arrested 85, with a combined total of 628 police records. The police methodology focused on analyzing the phenomenon, investigating the most active perpetrators, studying complaints, TMB images, physiognomic studies, surveillance, and victim identification.

The perpetrators primarily operated on buses with a high density of passengers, deliberately selecting vulnerable victims. Common techniques detected include the "crutch" method, coordinated group action, intentional creation of crowds, and approaching with false pretexts of help, especially targeting the elderly. Stolen items, mainly mobile phones and wallets, were subsequently used for scams and fraudulent purchases.