Gang of electric bike thieves busted on the Sorrento Peninsula: five placed under house arrest.

Five people have been placed under house arrest, monitored by an electronic bracelet, as part of an investigation into an alleged aggravated and repeated theft.

The order was executed this morning by Carabinieri officers from the Sorrento branch of the Carabinieri Division against individuals residing or located in Salerno, Scafati, Roccapiemonte, and Genoa. The order was issued by the preliminary investigations judge of the Torre Annunziata Court, at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office.

The stolen bicycles in Piano di Sorrento

At the center of the investigation is the theft of two electric bicycles, with a total value of approximately €2.200, which occurred on the night between September 14 and 15, 2025, along Corso Italia, in Piano di Sorrento.
According to investigators' reconstruction, the group reached the area on board a car and a van.

The alleged perpetrators apparently acted in a coordinated manner, with a precise division of tasks, before loading the bicycles onto the vehicle and driving off in the direction of Scafati.

Video surveillance, GPS and telephone records

The investigation was conducted by the Carabinieri of the Piano di Sorrento station and coordinated by the Torre Annunziata Public Prosecutor's Office.

Investigators examined images from public and private video surveillance systems, checked the vehicles used, and analyzed GPS data and phone records. The evidence gathered allowed them to reconstruct the dynamics of the theft and identify the five individuals subject to the precautionary measure.

A similar episode in Sant'Agnello

During the investigations, it also emerged that two of the suspects were the same individuals arrested in flagrante delicto, just five days after the Piano di Sorrento theft, by the Carabinieri of the Vico Equense station.

On that occasion, the police were charged with another bicycle theft committed in the Sant'Agnello area. According to investigators' reconstruction, the theft was allegedly carried out using a similar technique and the same van.

The investigating judge deemed that there were serious indications of guilt and the need for precautionary measures, ordering house arrest with electronic bracelets for all the suspects.

One of the recipients was arrested pursuant to the order. The other four were notified of the order while already held in custody for another case: two are being held in prisons in Salerno and Genoa, while two others are already under house arrest at their respective homes.

The proceedings are currently in the preliminary investigation phase. The precautionary measure may be appealed before the Court of Review.

The addressees of the order cannot be considered guilty until a final conviction is issued, in compliance with the constitutional principle of the presumption of innocence.