Marseille: A man committed multiple armed robberies for scratch

The plot, clearly monomaniacal, quickly intrigued the investigators of the “violent theft” group of the North division. On the 23rd of March, with his face concealed and a knife in hand, an individual stormed his way on chemin de Saint-Mitre in the Four de Buze area of the 13th arrondissement of Marseille, before bursting into the Bistro marseillais, a well-known bar for horse racing enthusiasts and lottery players.

In his sights, not tobacco, nor even cash. He only wanted one thing: scratch cards. Under the threat of his weapon, he was handed over several hundred before showcasing. The estimated loss of this armed robbery: 7,500 euros.

He tries to exchange invalid tickets, with his face uncovered

At this point, maybe unbeknownst to him, some of these tickets were not validated by the tobacconist who needs to scan the barcode of each full booklet on his terminal before putting it up for sale.

Four days later, still in the 13th arrondissement, it was once again an individual with a concealed face – dressed in the same way and with the same corpulence as the perpetrator on chemin de Saint-Mitre in Four de Buze – who rushed into the Franprix on Avenue Saint-Jérôme, before pouncing on the manager, and demanding, under the threat of a knife, the contents of the cash register.

With 650 euros in his pocket, he fled, while the cameras of the CSU (urban supervision center) filmed his every move, scrutinized by the members of the “violent theft” group.

Similar incidents committed in Ajaccio in 2021

Quickly, investigators linked recent events and determined that on the 23rd of March, the scratch card enthusiast didn’t just strike at the Bistro marseillais. Shortly after, on the same day, the individual went to another tobacco shop, where he managed to exchange unvalidated scratch cards for validated ones. A clever sleight of hand indeed, but this time done with his face uncovered. It didn’t take long for the “violent theft” group to identify the suspect and uncover that this 26-year-old man is well-known to the police for similar offenses, particularly committed in Ajaccio in 2021.

Now identified, the next step is to “house” the client. Once again, the city’s cameras and the tedious screening of CCTV footage showing the individual leaving the residence Val Pins to go to Franprix, then returning after his armed extortion, are going to aid the investigators, now convinced they have the individual who struck three times in 5 days in the 13th arrondissement.

Immediate appearance

On the 31st of March, the roaming investigators of the SISTC (Interdepartmental Service for Securing Public Transport) finally apprehended the individual. If there was any doubt, the search of his vehicle confirmed his voracious appetite for scratch cards, as the police seized some 356 tickets worth 2,190 euros, as well as Parions Sport tickets worth 2,540 euros.

Placed in custody, he allegedly admitted to buying tickets knowing they were stolen, but vehemently denied being the mastermind behind the thefts. Following the postponement of his immediate appearance, he is expected to be judged before the Marseille judicial tribunal on the 11th of June.