Criminal conspiracy for the purpose of residential burglary, attempted residential burglary, theft of and from vehicles, receiving stolen goods, forgery and violation of special surveillance.
These are the crimes charged to eight people who this morning were served with a precautionary custody order (three ended up in prison, five under house arrest) issued by the investigating judge of Bari at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office and executed by the Carabinieri.
At the top of the organization was, according to the prosecution, Giovanni Cassano, a criminal already detained for another case in Taranto and stepbrother of the former Roma and Real Madrid footballer, Antonio.
The crimes were allegedly committed between the provinces of Bari and Barletta-Andria-Trani. The investigation originates from events reported in the months of November and December 2020 in the Bari municipalities of Castellana Grotte and Conversano, the investigators have reconstructed how the suspects were skilled in acquiring information on the lifestyle and economic availability of the victims (also through shadowing and stakeouts) before attempting and carrying out the robberies.
The criminal structure, according to the Carabinieri, was "inclined to use threats and violence against people, with the sole purpose of stealing large quantities of money and valuables that the victims kept inside safes installed in their homes, which were broken open using an oxy-acetylene torch".
The suspects also used stolen high-powered cars, two-way radios and jammers, flexible hoses and other cutting and burglary tools. According to the reconstruction, the suspects used both keys stolen from the victims and those reproduced with the help of the owner of a hardware store in Bari, who was provided with photos of the keys to be duplicated.
But the association could also count on the help of compliant operators of a car registration agency in Triggiano (Bari), with which they illegally accessed the database for checking license plates.
The owner of the hardware store and the owner of the agency are under investigation at large. The suspects, during the thefts, "used to wear women's wigs, hats, masks and balaclavas", the carabinieri write, "making identification difficult".
The Carabinieri found about 110 thousand euros in cash in the possession of the association, contained in a bag. "Home burglaries do not only have an economic value, but constitute a real trauma for those who suffer them, because they affect the intimacy and an important part of people's lives", said the prosecutor of Bari, Roberto Rossi, during the press conference on the arrests (three in prison, five under house arrest).
“The suspects, who operated in groups, were following the victims, to try to understand their habits in order to understand how and when to act,” explained Colonel Dario Mineo, commander of the operational unit of the Bari Carabinieri. “One of the victims, for example, had a commercial activity and they learned about his habits and movements by approaching one of his employees,” added Mineo.
The burglaries usually occurred when the victims were not at home but, as the commander of the Monopoli company, Massimo Pignataro, pointed out, “on one occasion, finding the victims at home, they blocked them and threatened them in order to carry out the robbery”.
There are about 20 episodes of thefts and robberies contested, on one occasion the gang managed to steal 300 thousand euros from a safe. Among the most stolen objects also jewels and valuable watches.
Article published on 17 January 2024 - 14:57
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