The State Police has carried out an order for the application of the precautionary measure in prison against 8 people for the crime of criminal association aimed at committing multi-aggravated thefts and improper use of credit cards
The State Police, in the early hours of today's morning, coordinated by the local Public Prosecutor's Office, executed an order for the application of the precautionary measure in prison issued by the GIP of the Court of Rome against 8 subjects, of South American origin, considered to be seriously suspected, in various capacities, of the crime of criminal conspiracy aimed at committing aggravated thefts and improper use of credit cards and other payment instruments, to the detriment of elderly people whose possessions were removed and left unattended in the car .
The investigation activity, launched by the Flying Squad in 2022, made it possible to document the operations of an association made up of citizens of South American origin, divided into two criminal "batteries" interconnected with each other, dedicated to the perpetration of dexterous thefts committed mainly to the detriment of elderly people or groups of tourists visiting the capital.
The modus operandi used by the subjects, seriously suspected of belonging to the criminal group, was highlighted, with a precise division of roles and tasks, all functional to dexterous thefts, carried out according to the following methods:
- a first preliminary phase of identifying potential victims, such as elderly people not assisted by family members or acquaintances or groups of tourists busy with their luggage at the time of departure or arrival at the accommodation facilities of the Capital;
- a second, intermediate phase of approaching the offended person, through distraction with banal apologies or request for road information;
- a final phase in which a second suspect, taking advantage of the situation, approached the victim's car or the person, carrying out the criminal purpose, then disappearing aboard a car driven by a third party who also carried out "lookout" duties ”.
During the investigations, a total of 7 arrests were made in flagrante delicto and there were 22 episodes attributable to the association between June 2022 and July 2023, including 14 multi-aggravated thefts and 8 improper uses of credit cards. Furthermore, during the activities, numerous goods of illicit origin were seized, purchased by the criminals through the illicit use of credit cards taken from the victims.
The operation is part of the broader action of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Rome and the Flying Squad aimed at combating the activity of thefts and robberies in the Capital against elderly people or tourists, meaning that all those under investigation are to be considered presumed innocent in consideration of the current phase of the proceedings and until a definitive finding of guilt with an irrevocable sentence.
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