As of: March 27, 2024, 10:43 a.m
By: Nadja Hoffmann
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Press
Split
One of the acts that Europol made public in a video.
© Europol
There was a search across Europe, and now the handcuffs clicked in Naples: the police have succeeded in striking a blow against organized crime.
The thieves are targeting luxury watches.
They're after really expensive luxury watches that they rip off the wrists of well-heeled people.
In order not to get caught, the Rolex robbers work in pairs: one commits the theft, the other sits on a scooter with the engine running.
Before their victims even understand what is happening, the brazen thieves speed away.
They were also successful on the Isar with this trick.
Now Europol has managed to strike a blow against the scooter robbers!
Eight gangsters were arrested in southern Italy.
A successful manhunt in which the Munich Police Department 21 (robbery offenses) was also involved.
Specifically, it was about a case from September 2022 at Maximiliansplatz.
The victim: a 59-year-old doctor from Münster who was strolling with his wife.
On his wrist: a luxury Patek Philippe watch worth 60,000 euros.
At around 8.30 p.m., an unknown man suddenly tore the luxury watch from his arm, ran to a scooter driver and sped off with him.
As the presidium now says, K21's extensive investigations have led to a 36-year-old living in Naples.
He is one of eight suspects who have been behind bars since Thursday.
They belong to a criminal group that police say is responsible for violent watch robberies.
Police associations from all over Europe work together
The Italian police chose March 21 as “Action Day” for the arrests.
A video published by Europol shows the “Direzione Investigativa Antimafia” (DIA) deploying in Naples.
There was a lot of work in the run-up to the targeted campaign.
“National law enforcement authorities reported their internal information on watch theft incidents in recent years to Europol,” the executive board said.
A pattern of organized crime emerged.
“Based on all the information gathered, the police associations involved from Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Germany issued European arrest warrants against the Italian suspects who have now been identified.”
In addition to the local Commissariat 21, the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Berlin police were involved in Germany.
In Munich, the scooter robbers were particularly active in the summer months of 2021 and 2022.
During this time, the police managed to catch three of them and bring them to justice.
These men also come from Naples.
Her accomplice, who has now been caught, will also be tried here.
“The imprisoned 36-year-old is now facing extradition to Germany,” the police said.
Recently, watch robbers have been successful with other scams in the city: the victims are danced at, spoken to or distracted on the street.
Just last Saturday, an 80-year-old man was asked for coins in a parking lot in Pullach.
Just a few seconds later, the perpetrator ran away with the man's fancy 30,000 euro Rolex.