Two men have been arrested after a gold chain was stolen on Barcelona Metro's Line 1 and the suspects fled along the tracks at Espanya station, according to reporting published on Thursday 9 July by El Periódico. The case matters for regular passengers because it happened on the L1, one of the city's main metro routes, and involved a dangerous escape through the track area at a central interchange used by commuters and visitors.

El Periódico reported that the theft happened on the metro and that the suspects ran onto the tracks at Espanya station while trying to get away. The newspaper said officers arrested two people after identifying them as part of a group that allegedly targets passengers on public transport, especially on Line 1.

Police focus on repeat offending on the metro

According to El Periódico, officers working these cases know that some thieves repeatedly operate in the same parts of the network. In this case, the area identified was Barcelona's L1, which runs through central stations including Espanya.

The report said that even when suspects cannot be arrested immediately after a robbery, police can identify them and wait for them to return to metro stations before making an arrest. That is the basis on which the two men were later detained, according to the newspaper.

There are thieves who specialise in robberies on public transport and always operate in the same area. In this case, Barcelona Metro's Line 1.

What passengers know so far

The verified source material confirms these points:

  • The arrests were reported on Thursday 9 July 2026.
  • The alleged theft involved a gold chain taken on the L1 metro.
  • The suspects fled through the tracks at Espanya station.
  • Two people were arrested in connection with the case.

A separate report by El Caso also said a thief snatched a pendant from a man on the Barcelona metro and escaped by running along the L1 tracks at Espanya, matching the core details of the incident. The source material provided does not give the victim's age, the exact time of the robbery, or whether train services were interrupted.

For passengers, the immediate practical point is location: the incident was centred on Espanya on Line 1, a station used for metro connections and access to the surrounding area. The reports provided do not mention any public appeal by Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan regional police, or any further safety notice issued on Thursday.

Reported by Source Text Link, Germán González, Lucas Martorell, Raquel Navarro, PERE VIRGILI, Barna Diario, Maria Pentinat, Ángela Vázquez, barna.news, Gerard Pruna, Julio Collado, Álex Aragonés, Sofía Díaz, Leo Salguero, Diana Mora Publicado: 02 de febrero de 2025, 22:27, METRÓPOLI, El Periódico Barcelona.