An escaped conman responsible for a series of jewel thefts in hotels in a number of countries has struck in Dublin, gardaí confirmed this morning.
Gardaí are looking for Juan Carlos Guzman Betancourt (below) after the break-in to a hotel room on Merrion Street Upper last Thursday morning. He stole cash, jewellery and a credit card from the room before making several purchases in a city centre.
He is believed to have bought more jewelry from a shop in the city centre as well as a number of music CDs. "He went into HMV to buy some CDs," a Garda spokesman told ireland.com. "But he seems to have a particular like for jewelry."
The 29-year-old was jailed for three-and-a-half years in Britain last April for stealing jewellery worth £150,000, cash and other items over six years. But on June 6th the Colombian national left an open prison in Kent for a doctor's appointment and did not return.
He is believed to have netted millions from raids on hotel rooms in more than 10 countries over a number of years, after beginning his crime spree in the mid-1990s.
He is said to model himself on jewel thief Raffles and on Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the Hollywood blockbuster Catch Me If You Can. He is believed to operate using at least 10 bogus identities.
The Garda spokesman said Guzman-Betancourt was identified by a number of witnesses who had seen his photograph in British newspapers. He said gardaí were on the look-out for Guzman-Betancourt and had been in contact with Interpol and police in the United Kingdom.
He added that the hospitality industry should be "on the alert".
