A nurse working at a luxury residential complex in Barcelona’s Eixample district has been remanded in custody. He allegedly stole €17,000 from an 80-year-old resident shortly after she died. This case highlights serious concerns about financial crime in care settings.
The Mossos d’Esquadra arrested the 38-year-old man, a Colombian national identified as Miguel Ángel F., last Thursday. He faces fraud charges. Investigators discovered funds were transferred from the deceased woman’s accounts to his own using her mobile phone.
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Suspicious banking activity after patient death
The victim, Carmen Clusellas, passed away from natural causes on 21 October. At 10:33 am that morning, the suspect entered her apartment and reported finding her unresponsive. According to staff, she had been deceased for several hours by the time the alarm was raised.
The alleged crime unravelled the following day. Fraud prevention departments at BBVA and Abanca contacted the victim’s family. Unaware of her death, the banks flagged unusual movements on her accounts.
Investigators discovered that €10,000 had been transferred from an Abanca account and €7,000 from a BBVA account. Several attempts to send money via Bizum had also failed. The recipient account for all successful transfers belonged to the nurse who had reported the death.
Prior financial pressure on the deceased
Police inquiries revealed the nurse had previously approached the victim for money. On 17 October, five days before she died, he allegedly asked her for a €45,000 loan to open a restaurant. Friends stated she planned to decline the request the following Monday, but she passed away before doing so.
Following his arrest, the court ordered the suspect to prison. It also emerged he had an outstanding arrest warrant for breaching a sentence related to gender-based violence.
Forensic and video evidence in the theft case
Given the suspicious timing, the family requested an autopsy to rule out foul play. Preliminary forensic reports found no signs of violence. Final toxicology results confirmed the death was natural, detecting only traces of caffeine.
However, security footage from inside the victim’s apartment raised further questions. Carmen Clusellas had installed cameras six months prior due to rumours of theft in the complex, a potential reflection of the Barcelona crime statistics for 2024. The footage showed the nurse entering at 10:33 am and again at 10:36 am, but he was never seen leaving. Police suspect he may have deleted incriminating frames from the camera’s memory card.
Furthermore, the fraudulent transfers were executed between 8:11 am and 8:13 am—a time window for which no video footage exists.
The management of the residential complex stated they suspended the nurse immediately upon learning of the allegations. They have since terminated his employment. “We acted immediately,” a spokesperson confirmed.
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