He is both an ‘actor’ and a con man. They arrested him twenty times, they say, because he carried out the same modus operandi. This time they caught him in Alicante, Spain, where he is known as the ‘gastrojeta’.

He earned this special nickname as he usually does: eating without paying the bill in restaurants and bars, according to Spanish media. But first he pretends to have heart attacks, La Vanguardia noted.

He is identified as Aídas J., who according to El País is from Lithuania. That medium published on September 21, 2023 what his actions are generally like, without canceling what he liked to eat. In Spain they call this practice ‘simpa’.

“First of all, always Russian salad. Washed down with whisky. As a main course, a nice hearty and expensive dish, such as entrecôte or rice with lobster (paella). And more whisky. And for dessert you wait with one or two glasses of whisky, preferably of the White Label brand, until the police arrive, because you are not going to pay for the consumption,” El País described how the “gastrojeta” behaves.

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Twenty arrests in one year

According to La Vanguardia, this man, about 50 years old, seems to live a rich life, as Camilo sang.

He wears long gray pants, a polo shirt, trekking shoes (hiking boots) and a branded vest.

The Lithuanian does not speak Spanish, although he seems to understand it, EFE and the Spanish press report. The first time he was arrested was in November 2022. After 10 months, there have been 20 arrests.

A police officer says he was involved in four of the arrests and therefore more details are known on the subject. The man orders the food and then refuses to pay, as if he is not feeling well, as Antena 3 also indicates.

This was the recent arrest of the “gastrojeta”

On Antena 3 they said that on Tuesday, September 19, he arrived at a restaurant on Calle Mayor and ordered a seafood paella and a whiskey.

Paella, the Lithuanian, usually orders. Photo: Pexels/Deane Berries

-He drank it in one gulp before ordering a double with the rice, they said. He then “refused to pay the bill of 34.85 euros.”

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He tried to flee, but a waiter reminded him that he had not paid yet. The ‘gastrojeta’ replied that he was going to the hotel to look for the money.

However, he found himself “rushed” and took on the role of an actor: “he fell to the ground and pretended to be unwell.” It was the end of the show because “the restaurant owners called the police.”

He tried another alibi: he asked the officers to call an ambulance, but the police, says Antena 3, recognized the “gastrojeta” and took him away.

Between paying and not paying, the fact that he threw himself on the ground, and whether it was good or not, and the police arriving and picking him up… we were between an hour and a half and two hours without being able to check in, with the restaurant was completely closed due to the scandal. And no one pays for that.

Juan Carlos Gracia, restaurant manager

The manager of El Buen Comer restaurant, Moisés Doménech, has “taken several photos of the ‘gastrojeta’ and passed them on to other restaurants of the Provincial Hospitality Association (APEHA), so that he will no longer do his thing in the near future. .”, La Vanguardia reported.

The Lithuanian appeared for a speedy trial on Thursday. El País reported: “One of the three courts ordered his prison sentence for repeating a minor crime.”

According to EFE, the Public Prosecution Service has asked to give the ‘gastrojeta’ a three-month fine of 10 euros per day, to pay the outstanding bill at ‘El Buen Comer’ of 34.85 euros, and six months’ separation from this establishment “…It was not reported whether he pretended to have had a heart attack.

(JO)