Jackets, bags, shirts, belts, and perfume were taken from the Coin store at Rome's Termini station, "paying" a few euros to a dishonest cashier who pocketed the money. This is the core of the investigation, conducted by Carabinieri officers from the Centro company and coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Forty-four people are under investigation: among them, 21 men and women from the police force, including railway police officers and Carabinieri on duty at the railway station, investigated for aggravated theft in competition.
The investigation stems from a complaint filed by the manager of the Via Giolitti store following a €184,000 loss discovered in the February 2024 inventory, relating to the previous year. Four store employees are believed to be involved, including a sales assistant who allegedly removed the anti-theft tags, set aside pre-selected items, performed fictitious checkout transactions, and pocketed the money without depositing it. Ninety thefts have been confirmed in just over four months.
The investigation utilized cutting-edge technology: investigators installed software at one of the store's checkouts, which uncovered the illicit activity of an employee. Transactions at the checkout revealed transactions amounting to just a few dozen euros—partly pocketed by the cashier—compared to "purchases" of goods for significantly higher amounts. Nine police officers are under investigation: a senior manager of the railway police, two commissioners, an inspector, an assistant chief, a deputy superintendent, an assistant chief coordinator, a chief superintendent, and a female officer. Twelve members of the force, a sergeant, several deputy sergeants, and a pair of selected corporals serving at the station, are also involved .
The Carabinieri under investigation—concurrently with the notification of the investigation—were all transferred to other locations pending further investigations. Each of them is charged with one or two incidents. "They have been under investigation since yesterday for incidents—which we will demonstrate are unfounded—values of just a few dozen euros, and not, as some have reported, for a business involving hundreds of thousands of euros," emphasizes lawyer Andrea Falcetta, representing eight Carabinieri under investigation. "The Carabinieri, whom some in the press are already quick to label 'thieves,' have already made approximately 50 arrests in the past year, just 24 hours after the notification of the investigation, in addition to nearly a hundred reports at large," he adds. "They have also performed anti-shoplifting operations in plain clothes, recovering and returning stolen goods worth thousands and thousands of euros."
(Unioneonline)
