Vico Equense: Three young men kidnapped, tortured, and robbed: 46-year-old arrested

Villa Castriota – An escape and attempt to rebuild his life on the Sorrento Peninsula ended late yesterday morning. Carabinieri officers from the Benevento Company's Operational and Mobile Unit, supported by officers from the local station, arrested a 46-year-old man in Vico Equense who had been issued a final detention order.

The man was sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison on very serious charges ranging from torture to kidnapping, to robbery and attempted robbery.

The swollen face and the beginning of the investigations

The complex investigative effort, coordinated by the Benevento Public Prosecutor's Office, began almost by chance in December 2023. During a routine checkpoint, Carabinieri officers stopped a car and identified the people inside.

Among them was one of the future victims, who had obvious facial swelling and unmistakable signs of violence. Since then, the investigation conducted in collaboration with the San Leucio del Sannio Police Station has uncovered a criminal conspiracy of unprecedented gravity.

The nightmare in the house: truncheons, knives and forced withdrawals

According to investigators' reconstruction, the incident arose from a trivial argument over trivial matters. A few days after the altercation, three young people—one of whom was a minor at the time—were lured under a pretext into the home of one of the attackers. Once inside, the trap was sprung: the victims were held captive for several hours and subjected to severe physical and psychological abuse, including the use of knives and truncheons.

In addition to the beatings (which left two of the youths with injuries that were deemed curable in seven days), the youths were subjected to several acts of extortion and robbery. One of them was forced to attempt two bank transfers, which failed only due to technical problems. The gang then stole cash, a smartphone, and the car of one of the victims. The same vehicle was used to escort one of the victims to an ATM, forcing him to withdraw and hand over another €250.

The handcuffs and the transfer to Poggioreale

The pieces of the investigative puzzle had already fallen into place on March 9, 2024, when the investigating judge of the Benevento Court issued a precautionary custody order for the four people involved in the punitive operation. Yesterday, following the final conviction, the police located the 46-year-old in Vico Equense, a municipality near Naples where he had recently moved. After the usual formalities, the arrested man was taken to the Naples-Poggioreale prison, where he will serve the sentence set by the judicial authorities.