Seven people have been arrested after a criminal network allegedly tricked people looking for long-term homes in Malaga into paying deposits for properties they had no right to rent out.

Police believe around 20 people have already fallen victim to the scam, with losses estimated at €150,000. Another three people are being investigated in connection with the alleged operation.

What made the fraud particularly convincing was that the properties were real. Members of the gang would first book tourist apartments for just one day before advertising them as available for long-term rental.

They then arranged viewings, showed prospective tenants around the homes and collected money for reservations and deposits. Payments were made through Bizum, Spain’s popular mobile payment service, or bank transfers.

In some cases, the same apartment was offered to several different people on the same day, with each being led to believe they had secured a place to live.

Suspected ringleader operated from Thailand

According to the National Police investigation, reported by EFE, the organisation was based on the Costa del Sol but had an international element. Its alleged ringleader operated from Thailand, where he coordinated the fraudulent activity and recruited people in Spain to carry out the practical work.

Different members had clearly defined roles. Some published advertisements on social media and arranged appointments, while others showed prospective tenants around the apartments and collected their money. Investigators also uncovered a system involving numerous telephone numbers and bank accounts, with cryptocurrency allegedly used to launder some of the proceeds.

Benalmadena featured in the operation, with one suspect responsible for collecting money and arranging the movement of funds and apartment keys. Another allegedly received cash and converted it into cryptocurrency.

Police warn more victims could come forward

The investigation began after several complaints were received by the National Police’s Central District station in Malaga. Officers subsequently identified the properties involved and carried out operations to catch suspects in the act. Several further scams were prevented when prospective tenants arrived to reserve apartments.

Seven people have now been arrested and three others are under investigation for alleged offences including membership of a criminal organisation, fraud and money laundering.

Police believe the number of victims could increase as the investigation continues, given how many people were reportedly shown the same apartments. The case is another warning for people searching for rental accommodation in Spain. EWN previously reported on how fake landlords were targeting desperate renters across Spain, with criminals exploiting the pressure on people to find somewhere to live.

Anyone searching for a long-term rental should check the identity of the person offering the property and establish that they are the owner or have proper authority to rent it out. Paying a deposit before verifying these details can leave prospective tenants seriously out of pocket.

For more home renting advice, see EWN’s guide to avoiding rental scams in Spain.

A flight to your holiday destination is unlikely to go exactly to plan if you end up making an unscheduled stop in another country. But for one family travelling with a baby, the diversion to Barcelona was not an inconvenience or a change of travel plans. It was an urgent race to get their child medical attention.

The aircraft was flying from Casablanca in Morocco to Istanbul in Turkey when the crew reported that an infant, just a few months old, needed urgent medical assistance. The flight was diverted to Barcelona-El Prat on Sunday, November 8, so the baby could be taken off the plane and transferred for treatment.

A medical emergency thousands of feet above the ground

There was no option to continue towards Istanbul and wait until the aircraft reached its scheduled destination. The crew requested an emergency diversion to Barcelona after reporting that the baby had medical problems requiring immediate attention.

The child’s condition has not been disclosed, and there is no information about whether the baby became unwell during the flight or had an existing medical problem. What is clear is that the crew considered the situation urgent enough to change course and request priority landing at another airport.

Barcelona airport gives the aircraft priority

Air traffic controllers coordinated a direct approach to runway 24L, allowing the aircraft to land as quickly as possible. The runway is closest to the sea and is normally used for take-offs, rather than arrivals. The airport also had to consider the amount of fuel still on board and the aircraft’s weight before the landing. Once the arrangements were made, the flight was given priority, with other movements adjusted to leave the runway clear.

The emergency landing briefly disrupted normal operations at Barcelona-El Prat. Take-offs were stopped temporarily, while other aircraft waiting to land were held until the diverted flight had safely touched down. The reports do not specify how many flights were affected or how long the interruption lasted, but the pause allowed the aircraft carrying the baby to land without competing with other movements.

Ambulance ready to take baby from the plane

Getting the aircraft onto the ground was only part of the operation. The next priority was making sure medical staff could reach the baby without having to wait for the plane to taxi across the airport. After landing, the aircraft was directed to park very close to the runway exit.

This allowed emergency personnel to get to the plane quickly and carry out the evacuation, with the baby taken away by ambulance for medical attention. The positioning was arranged specifically to speed up access for the medical teams. Rather than following the usual route to a stand or terminal, the aircraft stopped in a location that allowed the infant to be transferred as soon as possible.

Controllers send message of support

Spain’s air traffic controllers confirmed the incident in a post on X, explaining that the crew had requested an urgent diversion because of the baby’s medical problems. They also thanked the flight crew, medical staff and airport operations personnel who helped coordinate the response. Their message ended with a wish for the baby to recover soon and well. It was a brief acknowledgement of the people involved in an operation where every minute mattered to the child waiting for medical care.

La tripulación del vuelo Casablanca Estambul solicita desviarse de urgencia al aeropuerto de Barcelona 🛬 Hay un bebé de apenas meses a bordo con problemas médicos que requieren atención urgente 👶🚨

Coordinamos aproximación directa a la pista 24L, la más cercana al mar y usada para despegues 🛫 Para ello, nos aseguramos de que podrán tomar y, una vez hecho, paramos despegues y hacemos esperar momentáneamente a los aterrizajes.

Una vez en tierra, se les facilita estacionamiento muy cercano a la salida de pista 🚑 Ahí, los servicios médicos pueden llegar se inmediato y realizar la evacuación. Reanudamos operativa.

Esperamos que el pequeño se recupere pronto y bien ❤️‍🩹
Gracias a todos los implicados en el operativo; personal sanitario, tripulación, operaciones…

#emergencia #atc #aviacion #airtrafficcontrol

— 😉Controladores Aéreos 🇪🇸 (@controladores) November 8, 2026

There has been no further public information about the baby’s condition, the treatment received or which hospital the ambulance took the infant to. The airline has also not released details about arrangements for passengers continuing to Istanbul. The aircraft’s diversion brought the journey to an unexpected halt in Barcelona, but the reports have not confirmed whether the flight later continued to Istanbul or what happened to the passengers. The baby’s condition also remains unknown.

The shortage of electricity connections has become another obstacle for Spain’s housing market, with new developments, factories and major investment projects competing for space on an already overstretched network. Now the Government is increasing the capacity it plans to make available to the autonomous communities, adding almost 20 gigawatts to its original proposal in a move that could unlock projects worth billions of euros.

The revised plan will make 47.3 gigawatts of additional connection capacity available for new demand by 2030, compared with the original 27.7 GW proposal presented in September 2025. The increase follows demands from regional governments, which have warned that insufficient access to the electricity network is holding back housing construction, industrial expansion and economic development.

Madrid, Aragón and Andalucía receive the biggest allocations

The investment required to deliver the expansion has also risen to more than €17 billion, €3.4 billion above the initial proposal. The number of connection points is set to increase by 52 per cent to 300, giving major electricity users more opportunities to connect to the national transmission network.

The distribution gives Madrid the largest additional allocation, with 6.5 GW, followed by Aragón with 6 GW and Andalucía with 5 GW. Castilla-La Mancha will receive 4.1 GW, while the Comunitat Valenciana has been allocated 3.8 GW. The increases reflect the different projects each region wants to attract. Madrid has pressed for more capacity to supply new housing developments in the north and south of the region, as well as planned data centres.

Andalucía, meanwhile, has asked the ministry to address what it considers a shortfall in its electricity network. La Rioja and the Balearic Islands will not receive additional demand connection capacity under the revised allocation, although their networks will still benefit from improvements to electricity transmission.

New homes, factories and green hydrogen projects

Access to electricity has become a major consideration for developers planning new housing, particularly in areas where existing networks cannot accommodate additional demand. Without an available connection, projects can struggle to progress even when land and planning permissions are in place. The revised plan identifies housing as a priority in Madrid, Andalucía, Catalonia, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Murcia, the Comunitat Valenciana and Castilla y León. More capacity is also earmarked for industrial development in the Basque Country, Cataluña, Galicia, Extremadura, Navarra, Murcia and the Comunitat Valenciana.

Data centres are included in the plans for Aragón and Madrid, while the availability of electricity for green hydrogen production is a priority in Andalucía, Castilla y León, Murcia, Cantabria, the Basque Country and Galicia. Rail electrification and cleaner port operations also feature in the proposals for several regions.

Andalucía provides an example of how the additional capacity could be used. Its allocation includes 5 GW for new electricity demand, with the regional proposal prioritising industry, including hydrogen production. According to the ministry, 70 per cent of the demand covered by its revised proposal relates to industrial projects, with the remainder covering housing, port decarbonisation and railway electrification.

A €17 billion investment with a long way to go

The infrastructure needed to support that expansion is substantial. In Andalucía alone, the proposal includes 19 new electricity substation sites, 1,283 kilometres of new power lines and improvements to another 651 kilometres of existing lines. The region is also expected to receive more than 8 GW of additional access capacity for renewable generation, alongside 1 GW for energy storage. Across Spain, the revised programme includes 193 electricity substations, 6,706 kilometres of new transmission lines and the upgrading of 8,164 kilometres of existing network.

The number of connection positions available to serve new demand through distribution networks will rise to 300, while positions for direct industrial consumption on the transmission network will reach 162. The plan follows an examination of 2,566 objections submitted by regional governments, businesses and other interested parties. The changes have increased the proposed investment from €13.6 billion to more than €17 billion, making it the largest electricity network planning programme in Spain’s history, according to the ministry.

When will the new electricity capacity become available?

However, announcing additional capacity does not mean every proposed home, factory or data centre will automatically receive an electricity connection. Red Eléctrica must still deliver the infrastructure, and developers must secure the necessary access permissions. Some projects have already experienced delays lasting up to 20 years, a problem the Government has previously criticised the network operator over.

The regional governments have also questioned the speed of the latest consultation process, with several councillors expressing concerns about the rushed meetings used to finalise the allocations. The ministry now wants to complete the remaining parliamentary step before taking the plan to the Council of Ministers.

Environment Minister Sara Aagesen is due to present the revised proposals to the Congressional Permanent Deputation on November 12. This will allow the Government to proceed with approval before the November 29 general election, after which it will enter caretaker status. For communities waiting for new homes, industrial investment and employment opportunities, the additional capacity could remove one of the obstacles holding projects back. But the real test will be whether the promised investment translates into functioning infrastructure and connections on the ground, rather than another round of plans waiting to be delivered.