Three people have been arrested in Alicante for allegedly plotting to steal a 91-year-old British expat’s fortune.

The Guardia Civil detained two men, aged 64 and 67, and a 62-year-old woman in Calpe, after an investigation uncovered a ‘carefully structured system of control’.

The force told the Spanish Eye on Tuesday: ‘Both the victim (a 91-year-old woman) and two of the alleged perpetrators (two men aged 64 and 67) are British.

‘The third person arrested is a 62-year-old Chinese woman.’

Police believe the elderly woman was specifically targeted because of her considerable wealth and because she lived alone in Spain while her family was abroad.

The suspects allegedly spent months cutting her off from relatives and friends before gaining control over aspects of her finances and even persuading her to change her will in their favour.

The extraordinary case was uncovered after the woman’s children became concerned about their mother’s increasing isolation and reported the situation to police.

The Guardia Civil subsequently launched Operation Confide.

Investigators discovered a scheme carried out in several stages, designed to gradually increase the suspects’ control over the pensioner and ultimately gain access to her fortune.

Locks changed and passport taken

One of the first steps was allegedly to isolate the 91-year-old from the people closest to her.

The suspects are accused of changing the locks on her home, retaining her passport and blocking the telephone numbers of relatives and friends.

A surveillance camera was also allegedly installed in a communal area of her building and pointed towards the entrance to her home, allowing the group to monitor who was visiting her.

Investigators say the woman’s personal and banking correspondence was redirected to an external mailbox controlled by the suspects.

That allegedly prevented her from receiving information about her own financial and personal affairs.

But one of the most unusual discoveries was made inside the woman’s home.

The suspects had allegedly placed photographs of themselves around the pensioner’s property.

Investigators believe this may have formed part of an attempt to psychologically influence the woman and reinforce the impression that the suspects had an important emotional relationship with her.

€20,000 allegedly taken

Once that level of control had been established, investigators say the suspects regularly accompanied the woman to different bank branches to withdraw cash.

The transactions eventually raised suspicions among people who knew her.

The pensioner normally paid her bills by direct debit and made other payments by bank card, meaning there appeared to be little reason for her suddenly to begin making repeated cash withdrawals.

Police estimate that approximately €20,000 was extracted from her finances in a relatively short period.

But investigators believe the alleged scheme went much further than taking cash.

Will allegedly changed

The Guardia Civil discovered that the woman’s will had been altered to benefit the suspects.

The pensioner was suffering from cognitive deterioration and was allegedly deceived about the documents she was signing.

She was purportedly led to believe that she was signing paperwork relating to the acceptance of her late husband’s inheritance.

Instead, police say, she was actually signing documents that would include members of the alleged group among the beneficiaries of her estate.

The changes to her final wishes have since been reversed.

Alleged plan to take her abroad

According to investigators, the suspects planned to move her to another country so they could continue exercising control over her and potentially gain access to her sizeable assets.

The three suspects have been accused of aggravated fraud, coercion, disclosure of secrets, harassment and membership of a criminal group.

They were brought before the investigating section of the Court of First Instance in Denia.

All three have since been released subject to precautionary measures while the investigation continues.

They have been issued with restraining orders and are prohibited from communicating with the 91-year-old woman.