A gang of thieves specializing in residential burglaries is believed to be behind the discovery by Flying Squad officers of two hideouts, a pub, and a B&B in Stampace, which were allegedly used to stockpile stolen goods. Yesterday morning, Preliminary Investigations Judge Manuela Anzani confirmed the arrest of 43-year-old Carlo Sanna and his mother, 57, ordering the former to be held in prison for the crimes of receiving stolen goods and money laundering, and the latter to house arrest on the same charges.
The arrests
In addition to the young man and his mother, a young woman was also in trouble, having been reported at large for the same crimes. In recent days, Falchi officers had seized watches, jewelry, chalices for mass, and €9,000 in cash following an operation in Stampace to investigate residential burglaries in several shops in the city. The prosecutor's office had also investigated a guesthouse and a pub, the Dejavu, as possible locations for receiving stolen goods. After recovering the items that were allegedly stolen from a home and a professional office, the Flying Squad arrested the 43-year-old and his mother. Yesterday morning, Sanna (represented by attorney Cinzia Lilliu) and Seu (assisted by attorney Marco Fausto Piras) appeared before Judge Anzani for the validation of the documents. The judge then issued an order largely granting the request for pre-trial detention in prison and house arrest made by Public Prosecutor Emanuele Secci. Among the numerous items seized during the operation are dozens of watches, costume jewelry, bicycles, replicas of antique weapons, a historic Carabinieri uniform, priestly chalices, and other valuable items, the provenance of which is currently being investigated.
The developments
However, the interrogations of the two suspects revealed that some of the stolen goods were purchased by a group of young North Africans, most likely of Algerian origin, who specialized in residential and commercial burglaries. For now, the information is being kept under the strictest investigative secrecy, partly because summer thefts in the city (completion or attempted) had become a veritable plague for weeks.
Theft alarm
Investigators are continuing their efforts to track down the victims and return the stolen property, but in the meantime, they are continuing to focus on a string of thefts and attempted thefts in various neighborhoods across the city. The latest report comes from one of the historic buildings on Viale Regina Elena, right near the Bastione, where thieves reportedly forced entry into two luxury homes before fleeing, perhaps because they were disturbed. Other thefts have also reportedly occurred in the Genneruxi neighborhood.
Francesco Pinna
