In $ 1.6 million wine heist, duo caught after 9-month search: Report

The "meticulously planned" robbery began with the lady using a phoney Swiss identification certificate to get into the hotel and the couple dining in its restaurant before taking a tour of Atrio's famed wine cellar, according to Spain's Police Nacional.

Detectives on the lookout for a pair of "skilled thieves" - suspected of stealing 45 bottles of wine worth more than €1.6 million (£1.4 million) from a Spanish restaurant in October last year - have apprehended two persons following a nine-month international police investigation that concluded in Croatia. The theft occurred on October 27, 2021, when a man and woman - presumably a couple, staying at the Atrio hotel and restaurant in Cáceres in south-west Spain robbed dozens of bottles of premium French wine, according to a CNN report.

The missing bottles were discovered the next morning by staff, but the suspects had departed the premises at 5am.

The robbery was well organised, with the burglars visiting the restaurant three times to prepare for the raid, officials said. The suspects "showed a high level of professionalism, specialization and perfect planning," CNN quoted a police statement as saying.

The "meticulously planned" robbery began with the lady using a phoney Swiss identification certificate to get into the hotel and the couple dining in its restaurant before taking a tour of Atrio's famed wine cellar, according to Spain's Police Nacional.

“Afterwards, they went to their room, which the man swiftly left to return to the cellar,” the force said. “After using a previously purloined master key to gain access, he emerged with three large rucksacks – one on his back and two in each hand – which held the bottles he had stashed, and which were stuffed with hotel towels to protect the bottles.”

While the man was raiding the cellar, the woman diverted the attention of staff members by requesting that some meal be prepared, despite the fact that the kitchen had closed.

The missing bottles were discovered the next morning by staff, but the suspects had departed the premises at 5am.

The robbers fled Spain a few days after the crime and travelled across other European nations, making it impossible for investigators to establish their whereabouts.

However, officials arrested them when they crossed into Croatia from Montenegro at the Karasovi Sutorina border crossing.

The "excellent collaboration" between national and international investigators from institutions such as Interpol was praised by the Spanish police.