Taranto – A 42 year old man, originally from Casoria and already known to the police, was arrested by the Carabinieri of the Operations Section of the Taranto Company on charges of aggravated fraud.
The man had pretended to be a policeman to defraud an 89-year-old man, stealing his money and a wedding ring.
The operation began on the afternoon of Monday, March 24, when a patrol of plainclothes Carabinieri noticed a suspicious car, a gray Opel Mokka, double-parked. The driver, who was wearing a dark cap and trying to hide, aroused the suspicions of the police, who decided to carry out a check.
The checks revealed that the car had been rented and reported on several occasions for similar scams, committed by people from the Neapolitan hinterland. In the meantime, the Operations Center confirmed that the car was involved in a scam against an elderly person, perpetrated using the “fake carabiniere” method.
The scammer had contacted the victim by phone, pretending to be a policeman and asking for money to resolve an alleged road accident caused by the elderly man's son. He then went to the 89-year-old's home, obtaining 300 euros in cash and the wedding ring.
When the police attempted to stop the car, the man tried to flee, resulting in a chase that ended after several kilometers. Once stopped, the man attempted to destroy his cell phone to erase any evidence.
During the search, the carabinieri found the money stolen from the elderly man in the pocket of the arrested man's jacket. The wedding ring, however, was not recovered: it is suspected that the man threw it out of the window during his escape.
The arrested man was taken to the Taranto prison, at the disposal of the Judicial Authority.
Article published on March 28, 2025 - 15pm
