Naples - "You have to leave home. I'll give you half an hour... bring me the keys and I'll give you your father back." This is the phrase that, according to investigators, a young man from Scampia heard on the evening of September 13, 2024, when he and his father ended up in the hands of a Camorra group.
A lightning kidnapping, with the son's release only to send a message home: mother and sister had to quickly pack up their things and leave the council flat in the so-called "Sette palazzi".
Behind that violence were members of the Cifariello and Cancello families, both linked to the Amato-Pagano clan and today hit by an operation by the Anti-Mafia District Directorate of Naples and the Flying SquadSeven arrests made, three suspects are still missing. They are charged with serious crimes: kidnapping for the purpose of extortion, illegal occupation, extortion, robbery, assault, and money laundering, all aggravated by mafia methods.
According to the investigation, coordinated by the DDA, the apartment had been identified as a "safe accommodation" for a top member of the clan.
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"You can also go to the Continis or the Licciardis, we are stronger."
But there he was stopped, insulted and kidnapped. "When your son brings the keys, you go away," they told him, adding: "You can go to the Continis, you can go to the Licciardi, but we are stronger. And no one can solve the problem for you."
The son was forced to return home to convince his mother and sister to leave. A few days later, the family discovered that the house had been squatted by the new "tenant": the boss and his family, who not only took possession of the apartment but even went so far as to wear the victims' clothes and replace the nameplate on the doorbell.
The violence didn't stop there. When the kidnapped man's wife and daughter tried to enter the home to demand an explanation, they were punched, threatened, and forced to surrender their car. "If even a single policeman comes to the Sette Palazzo," the Camorristi warned, "your parents will be kicked out of the neighborhood."
During the searches that accompanied the execution of the precautionary measures, officers seized cash, cell phones, and a valuable watch from the suspects. For investigators, this further confirms the economic power and territorial control exercised by the Cifariello and Cancello families in Scampia.
Comments (1)
This family's story is truly sad and makes us reflect on how organized crime affects the lives of ordinary people. It's incredible that such tragic situations still exist in Italy, especially in Naples. We hope the authorities can do more to protect citizens.