Police arrested a 48-year-old man living in Naples at the port of Olbia on charges of aggravated extortion against two elderly couples. The man, posing as a Carabinieri officer along with an already arrested accomplice, had called the victims in two separate incidents, deceiving them into believing they needed to go to the Carabinieri for a robbery.
At that point the men went to the barracks while an accomplice, a fake expert, reached the wives who were left alone at home and intimidated them to the point of making them hand over all their valuables and available money.
Officers from the Flying Squad, who arrived on the scene with patrol personnel, immediately began an investigation by examining the area's video surveillance systems. One of the two perpetrators was identified on the passenger lists of the scheduled ferry departing from Olbia and arriving in Civitavecchia the following day.
Located during boarding operations, he was checked by the Flying Squad and Border Police, after which the officers were able to recover valuables and cash. The victims later recognized him, a further factor that led to his arrest.
Investigations are continuing to identify further accomplices and to establish whether the two arrested men are linked to other similar incidents.
(Unioneonline)