Naples, five minors found abandoned in Vico Pace

Officers from the Naples Municipal Police's Social Emergencies and Minors Protection Unit, during a check in the historic center regarding illegal connections to the electricity grid, found five minors abandoned in a basement on Via Santa Maria Antesaecula in the Forcella area. The checks, which follow an operation launched by officers a few days ago to combat child prostitution, were conducted with the collaboration of Enes technical staff and involved several basements that had already been inspected in previous operations. In two "bassi" (living areas), officers found the five minors asleep and, with no adult presence, the conditions of the premises were dramatically inadequate from a hygienic standpoint, given the filth and disorder, with furniture and household goods scattered everywhere. Furthermore, exposed electrical wires were dangling between various rooms, connecting to an illegal connection to the city electricity grid, which the technicians on duty considered extremely dangerous. The minors were taken to the offices to allow Enel staff to secure the facilities, and at the same time, a search was launched for those exercising parental responsibility. Only hours later did two women and a man appear at the offices, stating they were the children's parents, and they were identified. After full information was provided to the competent Juvenile Prosecutor's Office and in consultation with the relevant Social Services, who were summoned to the scene, it was decided to release the five minors to their parents, subject to verification of the possibility of alternative housing with relatives. The parents were reported to the Judiciary for child abandonment. Regarding the premises where the energy thefts were discovered, hundreds of meters of electrical cables were cut, which were illegally connected to the city grid and were fraudulently drawing unbilled and unrestricted energy. Therefore, the occupants of the premises were reported to the Judiciary.