Two violent robberies occurred within 48 hours of each other, behind which the same gang of criminals could be involved. After the ambush on a student, which took place last Saturday night in Ponte Novo in the San Marco area, a new attack was reported on Monday evening. The victim, a 27-year-old Pakistani citizen, was punched and robbed of his cellphone and wallet. In both cases, a gang of three individuals acted, who, according to the descriptions provided by the victims, would be of foreign origin. The Carabinieri are investigating the two "hits" and may have already found the right lead.
At the barracks in Via Muggia, maximum secrecy is maintained to avoid compromising the investigation. However, according to what has been reconstructed, the robbery in Via D'Annunzio, a side street off Viale Verona, occurred around 9 pm. The Pakistani citizen would have been suddenly approached by the trio of wrongdoers. They would have demanded money and a cellphone from the victim. However, he would have tried to resist. The victim's behavior would have triggered the violent reaction of the gang. The Pakistani citizen would have been hit with a punch that knocked him to the ground. At that point, the criminals would have pounced on him and immobilized him to search his pockets. They took his wallet containing around 150 euros and his smartphone. Then they fled.
The dynamics are very similar to those of the ambush that occurred about 48 hours earlier in Ponte Novo. In that case, too, the 17-year-old student, returning home from a party, was attacked from behind, threatened, and then beaten by a trio of criminals. The loot was also identical: cash and a cellphone. The minor, in shock, ran home and then went to the barracks with his parents to report the incident to the Carabinieri.
Based on the evidence gathered so far by the investigators, it could be the same gang. The first robbery was captured by some cameras, and the footage has already been retrieved and analyzed by the military. Despite the three attackers wearing scarves and hoods to conceal their faces, the videos may still allow them to be identified. The examinations conducted on electronic eye recordings will also be cross-referenced with the identikits provided by the two victims. The Carabinieri's hope is to close the circle around the bandits as soon as possible to stop the series of robberies.
Another robbery had been committed last Thursday in the city center. In that case, the the one threatened with a knife to the throat in order to steele money was a chef from a pizzeria in the heart of the city. The alert for crime remains high during this period.
(Gdv, mercoledì 7 febbraio)