When North Zealand Police recently charged a 43-year-old Romanian with five counts of noting down a PIN code and stealing the respective card, it assumed the man, who confessed to four of the crimes, was a ‘small fish’ trying his luck in the supermarket.

But it has since emerged he is in fact a ‘kingpin of thieves’ involved in a huge case involving 171 similar thefts committed across Denmark between June 7 to August 27 last year.

Hiding behind false identity
When taken into custody in Helsingør on July 17, the 43-year-old used a false identity he had taken from another Romanian. The police, however, have since established his real identity and been able to unravel his involvement.

The five cases in North Zealand have been forwarded to police in Southern Jutland, who tomorrow will present all the charges at a preliminary hearing in Sønderborg.