The investigation began after an incident in Paulilatino , when an elderly woman, contacted by telephone by a self-styled "Marshal of the Guardia di Finanza," was robbed of various gold jewelry and €400 in cash . The theft occurred after a man, using a careful ruse, managed to break into her home and steal the stolen goods.
MODUS OPERANDI – During the phone call, the perpetrator advised the woman that she urgently needed to send her husband to the Nuoro Police Station for a criminal investigation into a robbery. An accomplice, approximately 50 years old, then showed up at the woman's home. He also identified himself as a law enforcement officer, displaying photos of himself in uniform on his cell phone. Under the pretext of checking cash and jewelry stored in the home to rule out the relative's involvement in the robbery, he stole everything, then disappeared.
THE INVESTIGATION – The immediate deployment of the Carabinieri and a thorough analysis of video surveillance systems, all compared with the boarding list for the "Tirrenia" ferry between Olbia and Civitavecchia, allowed them to identify the car rented for the theft and, at the same time, immediately dispatch the search to all Carabinieri headquarters on the island. The officers, following a lengthy stakeout in the access area to the port of Olbia, located and stopped the vehicle, immobilizing the man, a 50-year-old resident of the province of Naples, who was about to leave the island.
At the time of his arrest, the man was wearing the same clothes he had used during the robbery in Paulilatino.
Cross-checks have then allowed us to trace back to the same person a series of robberies carried out in various Sardinian provinces in recent weeks and with a similar modus operandi in Thiesi, Arzachena, Bono and Olbia.
At the end of the formal procedures, the arrested man was taken to Bancali prison , at the disposal of the Judicial Authority (Tempio Pausania Public Prosecutor's Office).
Investigations are still ongoing to identify the accomplices and search for the stolen jewelry.
RECOMMENDATION – The Carabinieri reiterate their recommendation, particularly to the elderly and their families, to be wary of anyone claiming to be a member of the police force or other public bodies and requesting money, jewelry, or other goods to deal with alleged legal or medical emergencies involving relatives. If any suspicious requests are made, it is essential to immediately end the conversation and immediately call the emergency number 112.
(Unioneonline)
