Caserta – They thought they'd find refuge across the border, in the foggy lands of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Instead, five of the six members of the violent gang that carried out a daring robbery at the Deutsche Bank branch in Caserta on March 22nd found themselves facing prison.
An international raid, launched at dawn last Saturday, marked the end of the fugitive period for the robbery commando , all of whom were identified and known to the police.
The operation, the result of a meticulous investigation conducted by officers from the Caserta Flying Squad and coordinated by the Santa Maria Capua Vetere Public Prosecutor's Office, in collaboration with the Central Service for International Police Cooperation, saw the Bosnian Police Special Units (SIPA) close the loop.
The five, all very serious suspects, were arrested. The sixth accomplice had already been arrested on July 15th while attempting to return to Italy.
The night of the robbery
The robbery 's dynamics have the feel of an act of war. On the night of March 22nd, six men, driving a car with stolen license plates, broke into the bank branch on Via GM Bosco. They were armed and their faces were covered. Within minutes, they forced open the night safe, seizing the loot and fleeing in the same car.
The alarm attracted a State Police patrol car to the scene. The officers heroically attempted to block the criminals' path. The gang's reaction was unbelievably violent: without hesitation, they struck the vehicle and deliberately hit the patrol car.
The impact was tremendous: the police vehicle was completely destroyed. The two officers on board suffered injuries that healed in seven and ten days and had to be rushed to the hospital.
The hero with the stars and the escape
Despite the trauma and injuries, in an act of incredible courage, one of the two police officers managed to grab hold of one of the attackers and tear the balaclava from his face. For a moment, their eyes met. That look, that face, would become the first, crucial piece of the investigation.
However, the chaos and violence of the confrontation allowed the robber, along with his accomplices, to transfer to a second vehicle (also with stolen license plates), which had arrived on the scene as a backup. Their escape was perfectly organized. But it wasn't a complete escape: the loot, the bank's internal cash register, was abandoned on the scene due to the intervention of law enforcement.
The international hunt
The Caserta Flying Squad's investigations were in full swing. A few hours after the incident, they found the fugitives' car, set on fire and abandoned in the municipality of Giugliano in Campania (Naples). The subsequent, intricate investigations led to the identification of six individuals, all of Roma ethnicity, residing in Roma camps in the province of Naples and with a very serious record of violent crimes against property and persons.
The motive for the robbery was clear: to finance the clan's criminal activities. The case heated up when investigators discovered that the very evening of the robbery, the group had already hastily left Italy, entering Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On the basis of this evidence, the Santa Maria Capua Vetere Public Prosecutor's Office requested and obtained from the preliminary investigations judge a prison order for all six individuals, charged with aggravated robbery and assaulting a public official.
The order, issued based on the serious evidence of guilt gathered, was fully executed with the Bosnian raid. International cooperation has demonstrated once again that justice knows no bounds.
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It's interesting to see how the investigation was conducted in such detail. However, I wonder whether arresting these individuals will actually stop crime in the area. The situation is complex and not easily resolved.