Carabinieri conduct a major operation against a network of serial thieves, resulting in 38 arrests in Naples and Rome.

Home burglaries and scams targeting the elderly: a criminal network has been busted, with 38 arrests in Campania and Lazio.

At dawn today, the Carabinieri of the Naples Investigative Unit executed a precautionary custody order against 38 people, deemed seriously suspected of being part of a criminal organization specializing in residential burglaries, receiving stolen goods, and aggravated fraud against victims with impaired defense.

The order was issued by the preliminary investigations judge of the Court of Naples North at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Naples North and includes a total of 65 charges.

The investigation, coordinated by the Prosecutor's Office and conducted between June 2023 and October 2024, stemmed from an apartment burglary in Casoria. From that incident, investigators reconstructed a much broader criminal case, compiling over 100 reports of similar thefts, which emerged from reports filed with various law enforcement agencies across the area.

The investigative activities, conducted with the aid of wiretaps and other technical tools, allowed the identification of seven distinct criminal groups, interconnected and predominantly family-based.

The attacks in Campania also occurred in the provinces of Frosinone and Rome.

The gangs operated in a stable and organized manner not only in the provinces of Naples, Caserta, Benevento, Salerno and Avellino, but also outside the region, between the provinces of Frosinone and Rome.

Overall, approximately 150 criminal incidents were reconstructed: 40 completed burglaries, 3 attempted burglaries, 92 failed burglaries, 8 receiving stolen goods, and 3 scams involving the so-called "mirror technique." The total estimated profit amounted to approximately €105, including cash, jewelry, gold and silver ornaments, and precious objects.

The thieves operated using tried-and-tested methods. Two or three lookouts remained outside the buildings to report any suspicious activity, while the perpetrators entered the apartments using altered or universal keys, capable of opening any type of lock.

When necessary, safes were literally ripped out of their homes with a hose. The escape was accomplished in cars equipped with false bottoms and hidden compartments to conceal tools and stolen goods. In some cases, gang members disguised themselves as delivery drivers for well-known home delivery companies to avoid arousing suspicion.

According to the investigations, each group was capable of planning and executing dozens of thefts a day, preceded by thorough on-site inspections to identify the victims and study their habits.

The gang's trusted receiver was also arrested

The valuable jewels and watches were then quickly monetized, within a few hours, through a trusted fence who, from his home, ran a veritable black market in gold and silver, with prices updated daily.

There was no shortage of scams targeting elderly people, who were targeted while traveling alone in their cars: using the "rear-view mirror technique," victims were tricked into believing they had caused an accident and forced to hand over cash for non-existent compensation.

During the investigation, 13 people were arrested in flagrante delicto, and another 9 were reported at large. The officers also recovered stolen goods worth approximately €30.