He pretended to be hit by a car and tried to extort money from the driver, a 32-year-old woman from Cagliari . However, Carabinieri officers from the Cagliari San Bartolomeo station also showed up at the meeting to collect the money. A 48-year-old man was arrested today on charges of attempted extortion.
The investigation stemmed from a complaint filed at the end of August by the victim, who went to the police to report that a few days earlier, in the parking lot of a supermarket in Cagliari, the man had staged the accident, implying that he had been hit by the woman's car .
The man, an unemployed resident of Quartu and already known to law enforcement, then managed to recover the 32-year-old's contact information and contacted her several times, threateningly demanding compensation for the accident, which never occurred . He also enlisted the help of a 54-year-old man from Cagliari, also with a criminal record, claiming to be a lawyer, who telephoned to demand the money. He also produced false medical documents to prove the injuries never occurred .
After the complaint was filed , a meeting was arranged between the victim and the scammer, who was caught red-handed this morning while receiving the requested sum . The 48-year-old was arrested and taken to Uta prison, while the self-styled lawyer was charged with attempted extortion.
(Unioneonline/L)