Spanish cops arrest hotel worker accused of stealing €6,000 of jewellery from Irish tourist's room

The 43-year-old woman was held after using a master key to get into the room while the tourist was out.

The victim reported the jewellery missing on Saturday, sparking a police investigation which the hotel co-operated with and resulted in the detention and recovery of the stolen items after officers were shown CCTV footage as part of the probe.

Local police in the coastal town of Cambrils in the eastern province of Tarragona confirmed today: “A woman from Cambrils aged 43 has been identified and arrested and jewellery valued at EUROS 6,000 taken from a hotel room on Saturday has been recovered.”

Police have not named the hotel and have said only that it is in a road called Avinguda de la Diputacio which is just back from the beach.

The stolen items are understood to have included rings, necklaces and bracelets.

They were recovered at the suspect’s home on Tuesday after police concluded she was behind the crime and got a warrant to search her property.

The holidaymaker, whose name and age have not been made public, has been told the good news but it was not clear today if she has already been reunited with her valuables.

The hotel employee, described as a casual worker, is believed to have been released on bail by a judge in a closed court hearing pending an ongoing criminal probe.

Police in Cambrils say they have already contacted officers in Dublin, where the theft victim is based and flew back to without her jewellery before the valuables were recovered, to inform them of the arrest.