He tried a "comeback" on a stolen iPhone, but the Carabinieri sprung the trap. A 19-year-old from Cagliari was arrested yesterday evening by officers from the Sant'Avendrace station on charges of attempted extortion.
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, when a 79-year-old tourist from the province of Varese had his smartphone stolen. A few hours after the theft, the man received a phone call from a young man posing as a "bona fide buyer." He claimed to have bought the phone for €200 and was demanding the same amount for its return.
The pensioner, sensing the extortionate nature of the request, immediately reported the incident to the Carabinieri . The investigation began very quickly: the officers located the suspect's home and, during the search, found both the stolen iPhone and the cell phone used to make the extortion call. The phone has already been returned to its rightful owner. After the usual formalities, the young man was placed under house arrest pending the summary hearing ordered by the judicial authorities.
