Venice: illegal porter gang dismantled, three arrested for extortion
Officers from the Mobile and Polfer units have arrested three people who assaulted tourists at Santa Lucia, stealing luggage and demanding money for its return. A fourth man is being sought.
Venice: illegal porter gang dismantled, three arrested for extortion
A coordinated operation involving various branches of the State Police led to the capture of three men responsible for a series of assaults against foreign visitors in the lagoon city.
The arrestees were part of an organisation that posed as an unauthorised porter service in the areas surrounding Venice Santa Lucia railway station, with particular focus on the crowded Calatrava bridge.
The modus operandi involved seizing tourists' luggage by coercion and then demanding payment for its return. In some cases, threats escalated into actual episodes of physical violence.
The investigation, conducted by the Venice Mobile unit, the Veneto Railway Police Division and the San Marco Police Station, resulted in the issuing of restrictive measures.
Meanwhile, investigators from the Polfer noticed an additional custody order was issued to one of the three arrested individuals and to another person, both involved in a robbery that occurred on a train at the same station in January.
At the end of operations, a member of the criminal group was found to be a fugitive.
Source: Police of State
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)