Amusement arcade punter is said to have faked a robbery at gunpoint, according Málaga police. If found guilty, he could face a fine of nearly three times the amount he lost gambling on the fruit machines.
The provincial prosecution service has just announced that an individual who claimed to have been mugged by an armed robber and relieved of 1,200 euros back in July 2007 could have invented the incident to hide a massive gambling loss.
After lengthy investigations into the robbery by the anti-violent crime squad, officers concluded that the story was false. Prosecutors have called for a fine up 3,240 euros for wasting police time.
Police say cases like this are not uncommon and are usually an attempt by the ‘victims’ to hide the fact that they have gambled away large sums of money, or to make a false claim on their household insurance.