Laptop theft in Piazza De Gasperi in Padua: three arrested by police
Three homeless individuals arrested in Padua after smashing a car window and stealing a laptop. A female resident's call to 113 was decisive in their apprehension.
Group of offenders stopped in central Padua following theft from parked vehicle
In the late evening of Monday, 1 June, the patrol cars of Padua Police Headquarters stopped three people in Piazza De Gasperi whilst they were committing an aggravated theft from a parked vehicle. As reported by questure.poliziadistato.it, it all began with a call to the emergency number 113, received at 23:40 from a resident who had directly witnessed the scene.
The woman had seen a man damage the rear left window of a parked vehicle and break into the interior to rummage through objects inside. The Operations Centre immediately dispatched a patrol unit: a crew was already in the immediate vicinity of the railway station and reached the square within moments.
The arrest and the roles of the three suspects
Upon arriving at the scene, officers noticed a man in dark clothing moving away at an accelerated pace. After being stopped and identified, he proved to be a 43-year-old Dominican citizen with no fixed abode, who from the outset displayed a nervous and impatient attitude during the search. In the immediate vicinity were two other individuals: a 41-year-old Moroccan citizen and a 40-year-old woman from Padua, both with no fixed abode.
On the pavement, just a few metres from the car, a laptop was recovered, the proceeds of the theft. The vehicle showed clear signs of forced entry: the rear left window had been completely torn away.
Footage from surveillance cameras documented the entire sequence: the 43-year-old Dominican used a crowbar to lever the glass, wrenching it free, before breaking into the interior and taking possession of the laptop. The same footage clarified the role of the other two: the Moroccan and the Paduan woman acted as lookouts, monitoring the surrounding area to ensure that no one interfered with the theft.
Criminal history and additional charges
The three were taken to police headquarters for fingerprinting and identification. The criminal records that emerged were all significant.
The 43-year-old Dominican is burdened with numerous prior convictions for theft, handling stolen goods, robbery, resisting a public official, escape, personal injury, domestic abuse, drug trafficking and unlawful possession of weapons. Additional charges have been brought against him: violation of immigration regulations and breach of a ban on returning to the Municipality of Padua, a personal prevention measure already imposed on him.
The 41-year-old Moroccan has prior convictions for theft, damage to property, resisting a public official and robbery. The 40-year-old woman from Padua has prior convictions for theft, personal injury, threats and drug trafficking. A further charge emerged against her: at the time of her arrest, she was in possession of a bag containing a complete set of silver cutlery, the origin of which she could not justify. She was therefore also reported for handling stolen goods. Investigations are ongoing to trace the legitimate owner of the silverware for the purposes of its return.
Laptop returned to owner
Officers contacted the owner of the vehicle, a woman residing in the building adjacent to the square. Upon arriving at police headquarters, she confirmed that the laptop recovered was her property and filed a formal complaint, also verifying the damage to the vehicle. The laptop was returned to her upon completion of operations.
The three have been referred to the judicial authority for aggravated theft in concert. The intervention fell within the daily operations of prevention, surveillance and territorial control carried out by the Crime Prevention and Public Assistance Office of Padua Police Headquarters.
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)