MADRID (AP) — They booked banquets for hundreds of guests. They ate, drank, danced and even set off fireworks. But when desserts arrived, they drove away in a blink of an eye, leaving behind unpaid bills amounting to thousands of euros.

A trail of similar recent incidents in various restaurants of central and northwestern Spain has led the police to detain one man from Romania whose identity matches some of the bookings, said a spokesman with the regional Interior Ministry in Leon.

A second man who is on the run could have left the country already, according to a spokesman with the Civil Guard, and more have been identified. But no details would be released to avoid tipping the fraudsters off.

Both officials spoke anonymously in line with internal policy.