A wave of mysterious needle sticks to women at parties and nightclubs baffles the authorities

By Raquel Redondo -

The Spanish police are investigating fifty complaints from women who were injected with injections in nightclubs or parties, a phenomenon whose implications are still unknown but which has drawn the attention of the authorities in other countries.

So far, police have not confirmed any cases of sexual abuse or robbery related to the mysterious punctures.

At least 23 of the recently reported cases occurred in Catalonia, a region in northeastern Spain that borders France.

[80-year-old woman shoots robbers away]

A similar wave of punctures at music events has baffled authorities in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

French police have received more than 400 complaints in recent months and say the motive is unclear.

In many cases it was not known whether the puncture was accompanied by the injection of some substance.

So far, Spanish police have found evidence of drugs in one case,

.

Local media reported that her parents, who were near her when she felt a prick, immediately took her to a hospital.

A nightclub in Barcelona, ​​Spain, in a file image. PAU BARRENA / AFP via Getty Images

In an interview with Spanish public television broadcast on Wednesday, the Minister of Justice, Pilar Llop, urged those who believe they have received a puncture to go to the police, since it is, she said, "serious acts of violence against women ”.

Health authorities reported that they were updating their protocols to improve their ability to detect substances potentially injected into victims.

[McDonald's worker shot after mother and son fight over food]

Current toxicological methods require blood or urine tests within 12 hours of an attack, Llop said.

In southwestern France, several attacks were also reported at the Bayonne Festival, which was attended by 1.2 million people last week in the city near the Spanish border.

Bayonne prosecutor Caroline Parizel said 124 people, both men and women, underwent medical tests after reporting needlestick attacks.

Eleven of them filed lawsuits.