Robbery at bingo hall and 13 kg of hashish: 54-year-old arrested in Rome
A 54-year-old Roman man has been arrested in Pietralata following a robbery of €38,000 and the discovery of a domestic storage facility containing over 13 kg of hashish.
Latex mask, knife and a drug warehouse: Roman arrested in Pietralata
The State Police have arrested a 54-year-old Roman man on serious suspicion of aggravated robbery and possession of narcotics for trafficking purposes. This is reported by Google News IT — Crime (it), citing the reconstruction provided by the Falcons of the VI Section of the Mobile Squad and officers from Vescovio Police Station at the conclusion of an intensive investigation.
The first act took place in a bingo hall in the north-east sector of Rome: a man with his face covered by a latex mask and armed with a knife threatened the cashier, forcing him to hand over approximately €38,000 in cash, before fleeing quickly.
The "signature" of the trainers
The fugitive was apparently betrayed by a seemingly insignificant detail: a pair of trainers captured by surveillance cameras. Some employees of the hall reportedly recognised the shoes as those of a regular customer, already noticed near the establishment shortly before the robbery.
A cleaner provided a further clue, stating that he had encountered the robber at the exit and followed him for a short distance, until he observed him disposing of the mask in a rubbish bin nearby. The action, intended to destroy evidence, instead left concrete proof in the hands of the investigators.
Intercepted in Pietralata wearing the same shoes
The search was moved to the Pietralata neighbourhood, where, a few hours after the robbery, the 54-year-old was stopped by police officers: he was still wearing the shoes captured during the theft. In his trouser pocket the officers found a knife, cash and a dose of cocaine.
The domestic storage facility: over 13 kg of hashish in a cool bag
An inspection of an apartment in the area changed the scope of the investigation. A strong smell of hashish guided the investigators towards a veritable domestic drug storage: over 13 kg of hashish, divided into packages with personalised graphics, alongside scales and packaging materials.
Among the more unusual details, over 250 grammes of hashish stored "fresh" inside a thermal bag. The circle of the investigation was closed by the money: during the search approximately €38,000 was recovered, believed to be the proceeds of the robbery, and over €5,000 in cash found in a box. Some clothing items found in the apartment further confirmed the correspondence with images captured during the robbery.
Arrest validated, custody in prison
The continuity of the search, never interrupted from the first report of the robbery, allowed the investigators to establish what amounted to near flagrante delicto. The man was therefore arrested. The arrest was validated by the judicial authority, which ordered his remand in custody in prison.
The evidence described belongs to the preliminary investigation stage: the suspect retains the presumption of innocence pending possible conviction by final judgment.
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)