Elevator robberies targeting elderly women: Hunt for other raids by Luigi Murolo, a phony.

Naples – The three attacks detailed in the precautionary warrant may represent just the tip of a much larger criminal iceberg. This is the current focus of the investigation by the Carabinieri of the Scampia station, coordinated by the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office: sifting through dozens of reports against unknown persons filed in recent weeks throughout the northern part of the city.

Investigators are trying to determine how many other ambushes were carried out by Luigi Murolo, the 35-year-old man already known to law enforcement and arrested in recent hours on charges of terrorizing and preying on defenseless women living alone in apartment buildings.

The puzzle of complaints in the northern area

Investigators' well-founded fear is that many victims, out of shock or fear of retaliation in the public housing projects, didn't find the strength to report the crime immediately, or that similar incidents were labeled isolated robberies. The police are cross-referencing timestamps, physical descriptions, and hospital records from the last month to map the suspect's entire range of activity.

The suspicion is that the sequence reconstructed by the court documents did not begin on August 27, but that Murolo had long been rehearsing a cynical and ruthless plan of action, designed to leave no escape for those who were struggling to walk or returning home laden with bags.

The escalation between scooters and gates

The cases formally contested in the restraining order demonstrate a rapid and unscrupulous criminal progression. The first documented raid dates back to August 27th: an 83-year-old woman, walking slowly toward the front door, was surprised from behind by a man on a scooter wearing a helmet and neck warmer. It took only a few moments: the violent snatching of her bag, a violent fall to the ground, and a five-day prognosis for multiple bruises.

On September 2nd, the attack escalated, with a carefully staged attack designed to lower the victim's defenses. Clearly captured by video surveillance cameras, the attacker approached a 73-year-old woman laden with shopping bags. He was courteous, held the apartment door open for her, and even offered to lift a heavy bag to the elevator.

As soon as the metal doors of the booth close, the fake neighbor reveals his true colors: he pulls out a gun, points it at the terrified elderly woman, and snatches her purse. The impact causes the woman to hit her head and back violently on the floor, requiring seven days of medical treatment.

The hot blitz in the Cherry Tree Park

The repeated attacks prompted the Carabinieri of Scampia to close in on what appeared to be his favorite scene: Parco dei Ciliegi, on Via Fratelli Cervi. By compiling video footage and the license plate of the car he used for travel, the officers cordoned off the block, establishing a dense network of stakeouts. When the car appeared, they launched a blockade.

A toy gun and €1.145 in cash were found on the man: the fresh fruits of a third assault committed a few minutes earlier in block B of the same neighborhood, against a 63-year-old woman whose earrings and gold bracelet had been snatched from her while she was blocking the elevator doors on the third floor.

The 35-year-old, now in prison awaiting a sentencing hearing, was definitively nailed by high-definition footage: his tattoos and clothing at the time of his arrest matched the captured videos to the millimeter.

But while the preliminary investigation concludes with the arrest, the real investigation resumes in the local police station to identify the perpetrator of all the other attacks committed in the shadows of the stairwells.