He used a deckchair to block the victims' view while his two accomplices swooped in to steal their bags. According to the Carabinieri's reconstruction, this was the ingenious technique that allowed three young Algerians to carry out several robberies on the Poetto beach. With the good weather of recent days, the Cagliari beach had been crowded with residents and tourists. Some even took advantage of the opportunity to take their first dips, only to end up robbed. But some of those present filmed the outcome: the Carabinieri chased the perpetrators on foot along the beach, at their first stop, and managed to apprehend them.
The operation
Numerous reports and complaints were received from beachgoers to the emergency number 112. Carabinieri officers from the Radiomobile unit and Stampace station, already patrolling the beach, immediately went into action after beachgoers raised the alarm. They were suspicious of the group of three young men wandering among the sun loungers, umbrellas, and bags left unattended on the beach. Arriving on the scene, the officers caught the three Algerians in the act of stealing a woman from Cagliari's bag.
The escape
The young men immediately fled after seeing the officers, ignoring orders to stop. A chase ensued across the sand, with the three attempting to escape through the crowd, but were apprehended shortly thereafter, as documented by the video. A 21-year-old homeless man, a 24-year-old man, and a 21-year-old man, all residents of the Monastir reception center, were arrested. All are believed to be of Algerian origin.
Thanks to witness testimony, the Carabinieri reconstructed the group's actions: one acted as lookout, using a deckchair to block the view of the victims and passersby, while the other two went into action. The two residents of the shelter were placed under house arrest. The other was held in holding cells pending this morning's preliminary hearing.
The precedent in Calamosca
In recent days, the Carabinieri also arrested and reported at large a 31-year-old Algerian man, also a resident of the Monastir reception center. He was located on Via Tramontana after, shortly before, he allegedly stole a woman's handbag in the Calamosca area. The woman was later located by the police using her identification. All the stolen goods were recovered and returned to their rightful owners.
(Unioneonline)