An Israeli woman recently became a hero in Greece after she brought about the capture of a thief, who for years was stealing luggage from a local airport.
Greek authorities have been at a loss to decipher repeated thefts from the Athens International Airport over the past six years, until the budding sleuth, Felice Ross, helped them solve the case.
The Israeli lighting designer used the earphones in her missing luggage to track the suitcase and lead authorities to the culprit.
Ross, who travels the world for work, said she had left her earphones in an overnight case along with Greek delicacies she had purchased. When the bag did not show up at the baggage claim back in Israel, she decided to attempt to trace the electronic devices.
"I remembered the earphones can be located, and when I tracked them online, I found them in Peristeri, a suburb west of Athens," she said. "I then saw them moving back and forth from there to the airport over the next few days."
With the help of a Greek friend, Ross contacted the Athens police, which launched an investigation. "My luggage finally arrived in Israel, minus some facial creams, my Greek cheese and of course the earphones," Ross said. "My daughter and I joked that the thief was a woman who liked my creams and ate my cheese, while listening to Greek music," she said.
She also realized the lock of her case had not been broken. It was simply opened, information she relayed to the police in Greece, which then raided the premises in Peristeri where they found 19 luxury bags, several watches, 47 cellphones and assorted electronic equipment, 35 cigars, jewels, and cash in various currencies.
They arrested their suspect who admitted that he had been stealing from the airport since 2016.
But, Ross never received her earphones because the thief, having realized they were turned on remotely and were tracking his movements, threw them away. "I will be back in Athens, working with the national theatre soon," Ross said. "I hope the authorities thank me by giving me honorary citizenship or maybe a small island," she joked.