A gang that defrauded the elderly has been dismantled in Milan: 16 arrests and assets worth €2,5 million seized.

Milan – Sixteen people were arrested, five were placed under house arrest, and one was under investigation for another crime: this is the outcome of the operation in which the Carabinieri of the Milan Provincial Command executed a precautionary measure order issued by the investigating judge of the Milan Court against 21 suspects. The charges, to varying degrees, include conspiracy to commit theft, receiving stolen goods, money laundering, and self-laundering.

Among those targeted was a 96-year-old woman, identified by investigators as the group's "leader": she was placed under house arrest. According to the investigation, she played a role in managing the logistics base and was involved in several incidents of receiving stolen goods.

The investigation, called "Altro Mondo," was conducted by the Milan Investigative Unit and coordinated by the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office. The investigation began in 2023, following a surge in property crimes, particularly against the elderly and vulnerable, using the "fake Carabiniere" technique: the suspects allegedly introduced themselves to victims using materials and distinctive signs attributable to law enforcement to enter their homes and quickly seize money and valuables.

Investigators have identified a suspected organization based in the Muggiano neighborhood, in the western suburbs of Milan, believed to be involved not only in home burglaries but also in the subsequent "chain" of receiving and laundering stolen goods, including across the border. They have reportedly reconstructed 12 thefts (10 of which involved a fictitious Carabiniere), as well as 15 incidents of receiving stolen goods, 8 incidents of money laundering, and 2 incidents of self-laundering in Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium.

A key aspect of the investigation concerns the international transfers of valuables: according to the documents, on several occasions, large quantities of jewelry and gold were allegedly transported using a camper van as a "cover," and the stolen goods were then laundered with the complicity of jewelry stores and gold-buying shops believed to be compliant. The total economic value of the disputed assets was estimated at approximately €2,5 million.

During the searches, also conducted in Switzerland with the assistance of the Federal Office of Customs and Border Security, officers seized approximately €43 in cash, luxury watches, gold bars, handbags, and precious jewelry. They also found radio transmitters, scanners for detecting bugs, and two blank-firing pistols. As part of the same investigation, additional seizures totaling approximately €500 in cash, watches, jewelry, and luxury accessories have already been made, as well as a blank-firing pistol found hidden in a hidden compartment in a false ceiling.

The investigation had already led, in recent months, to the arrest of two Italian men, aged 30 and 44, who were jailed by order of the Milan investigating judge. They are considered seriously suspected of conspiracy to commit multiple aggravated home burglaries between June 6 and July 14, 2023, in the provinces of Milan, Monza Brianza, and Livorno, with elderly victims. The positions of the 21 suspects remain under investigation by the judicial authorities.