They approached the victims with an excuse, allowing their accomplices – depending on the circumstances armed with guns, tasers, knives, sticks and baseball bats – to immobilize and attack them ferociously, and then steal money, mobile phones, personal effects and ATM cards. This was the consolidated modus operandi of the gang of young robbers in the industrial area of Padua. Two 23-year-old Moroccans living in Fossò (Verona) ended up in prison, while 7 other people, including 6 minors, are under investigation and their position is being examined by the respective judicial authorities. For the two arrested, the alleged crimes are aggravated robbery, one of aggravated extortion and one of illegal possession of weapons. Overall, the 9 suspects are also accused in various capacities of 6 other crimes of robbery, aggravated personal injury, kidnapping, threats, private violence, illegal carrying of weapons and objects capable of offending, improper use of payment cards and damage of the cars of some of the offended people. The investigations began following a serious episode that occurred on the night of June 11, when a pensioner was attacked with punches, kicks and blows with a baseball bat by 4 criminals who also stole his gold ring, two mobile phones and 150 euros in cash. The robbers, “using a sharp tool, engraved phrases of unequivocal homophobic content on the bodywork of his car.”
Having found that the area of the attack was known as a meeting place for homosexual people, the police then ascertained that, in addition to the robbery of the pensioner, 9 other incidents had been committed by a gang of young people, disguised by balaclavas and masks.
