Gillie, a long-term resident of the Costa Blanca who was recently widowed, has spoken out after two men stole her handbag in broad daylight outside the old Lidl store in Calpe. It seems she is far from the only victim of this kind of crime. She wants other women living alone and visiting tourists to know exactly what happened so they can stay safer and more vigilant. Many supermarkets around Spain still do not invest in security cameras, making their customers instant prey for violent thieves.

Afternoon ambush in the Lidl car park

Gillie parked at the old Lidl’s in Calpe just after 4.10pm in the afternoon on June 16. “As you drive in there is a shady area on the right and my car was parked there. There was only one other car parked in that whole area and I left a gap between it and myself.”

She did her shopping, put the bags in the boot, climbed into the driver’s seat and locked the door straight away. “One of the key things to remember when you were on your own is to lock the door as soon as you can.”

Two men in their mid-30s sat in the car next to hers. “The driver had a shaven head cut 1, I think it is called for men and an aqualine nose. The other bloke had dark hair, quite a lot of it and was wearing a pair of white sunglasses with a bit of pink on the right side. They were both of a fairly slim build and I only can guess the height of one of them which was the dark head one who was about 5 foot 10.”

They sat in a long bronze-coloured car parked diagonally between a white vehicle and hers. “I could easily recognise them if I saw them again.”

Window banging and a blocked escape

The dark-haired man jumped out and started banging hard on her window. “I was making signs to say “no, no, no” but he kept on going. The more he intimidated me the more agitated they became.”

Gillie tried to reverse. “I thought I would reverse the car, but the second guy came behind the car and I would’ve run him over, so I couldn’t move the car.” The dark-haired man then bent down by her tyres. “I suspected he was taking the pressure out. I found out later he was, effectively, taking the pressure out.”

Thinking both men were behind the car, she opened her door an inch and slammed it shut again. She forgot to re-lock it immediately. That was the moment her handbag disappeared.

What was taken and the missing cameras

Inside the bag was her passport, TIE Spanish identity card, driving licence, credit cards, house keys and mobile phone. “Unfortunately, that day I was on the way to the Suma supermarket too, and I had my passport and TIE with me as well as my driving license credit cards cards and many many other things, including my keys to my house. My mobile was stolen which stopped me from making any phone calls immediately and all my numbers were stored on the phone.”

She went back into Lidl for help. “They were no help whatsoever. They have no security cameras in their car park!”

Two police cars arrived as she walked between the shop and her car. The officers followed her home and climbed over the wall to fetch her spare keys.

What Gillie wishes she had done in that situation

Looking back, she listed the actions that could have changed the outcome:

• Pressed the horn and kept her hand down on it
• Taken a photo of the two men
• Used the screamer she keeps in her handbag
• Phoned the police
• Phoned a friend

Practical steps that helped her recover

Gillie has shared the checklist that got her back on her feet:

• Keep a spare set of keys hidden close to the house.
• Keep a written list of emergency numbers for friends, banks and building societies.
• Stop every credit and debit card at once.
• Mark the phone as lost or stolen.
• Contact the SIM provider’s emergency number so the card can be wiped and a new one issued with the same number.
• Report the theft at the Guardia Civil – the paperwork is needed for replacement identity documents.
• For an Apple phone, mark the device as lost in Find My Phone and choose the erase option if anyone tries to access it, but never select “Remove this iPhone”.
• Call a locksmith and change the locks.
• Inform your abogado or solicitor so they can help with a new TIE and driving licence (a new passport is needed first).
• Tell the insurance company – Gillie’s local office confirmed the same pattern happens regularly and most supermarket car parks, including this Lidl, have no cameras.
• Renew the passport online or through a specialist firm. Gillie used Letters R Us and received a new one in 14 days.
• Carry only one bank card when out so a spare remains at home.
• Alert every emergency contact on the phone – two of hers received scam attempts.
• Visit the local health centre for a new SIP card; a photo of the old card and a letter with the address were enough.

“Prioritise what you need to do in terms of safety, security and finally you can then start to tackle things like your store cards, your health cards, and for me, my if I die Card.”

Regular problem, missing cameras

Gillie has since learned the same method is used again and again. “Since this has happened to me, I have discovered that this is a regular occurrence. I have heard of people’s windows being smashed to grab a handbag and even while writing this now there is something on Facebook to say a woman is stuck in a car park with two ladies insisting on giving her a massage that she does not want.”

She is clear about the simple solution. “I think all supermarkets should have cameras in their car park to protect their clients. Does anybody else agree?” Take a stand. Tell your local supermarkets make sure their customers remain safe by installing CCTV security cameras. Thieves are on the lookout for those that don’t.

Anyone who has faced a similar incident in Calpe or elsewhere on the Costa Blanca is urged to report it to the Guardia Civil and share details with neighbours so the pattern can be stopped. Comment in the box below if you too have been a victim of this, or similar.

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