In Cagliari , an 83-year-old man was robbed in his home by a man who, pretending to be a police officer, first attempted to defraud him, then broke into his home and attacked him, stealing valuables.

In the end, however, the criminal – a 42-year-old – was tracked down and arrested by the State Police on charges of fraud and aggravated robbery.

The men of the Police Headquarters Flying Squad intervened after the victim, a resident of the Quartiere del Sole, called 112, reporting a decoy phone call received from the scammer.

The latter, posing as a soldier, had informed him that some bandits, who had committed a theft, were traveling in a vehicle registered to him and that the stolen goods had been deposited at his home. Having nothing to do with the vehicle in question—different from his own—the man became suspicious, and the suspicion of an attempted scam became a certainty when the self-styled Carabiniere began insistently asking him if he had any gold in the house . Then the same criminal announced that a "colleague" was arriving to check it out.

When, shortly thereafter, another person, identifying himself as a Carabinieri officer, actually showed up at the old man's house, the man became even more suspicious, also due to the stranger's refusal to show his badge and his shabby clothing.

At that point he threw him out of the house, but the criminal re-entered the house through the bathroom window and, after repeatedly pushing the elderly man, grabbed two jewelry boxes and fled.

After reporting the incident to 112, law enforcement intervened. When the Flying Squad officers arrived, the victim explained what had happened and also reported that his wallet was missing.

At that point, the officers, along with reinforcements, searched the area and, thanks to the suspect's description, managed to intercept and arrest him as he, feeling hunted, attempted to get rid of the stolen goods.