Theft with the embrace technique, vanquished the gang operating in Treviso

Four people were arrested, they carried out thirteen thefts in the Treviso area between 1 June and 26 August 2021

TREVISO. A hug, a handshake, maybe even a kiss on the cheek, and the hands that slide to the wrist, the nape of the neck or into the pockets. A moment of apparent affection and gratitude, and the intended victim is found without a watch, necklace or jewelry. The Carabinieri of the Provincial Command vanquished the gang that scored at least 13 hits in the Marca last summer using the hug technique.

Four people were arrested: Samuel Gheorghe (30), Lidia Gheorghe (30), Leonard Stoian (28) and Bianca Dumitru (23); while two, currently unavailable, are the recipients of the ban on residence in Veneto. All are of Romanian citizenship.

The band was based on a b & b in Mestre, from which they left in the morning to carry out their thefts throughout the province of Treviso. They identified the victim among the most vulnerable categories, particularly the older ones, and then a woman would take action.

He approached the victim with an excuse, such as a request for information or a job offer, and then, once his trust was gained, he hugged her and took off her watch, chain or other jewelry.

The hits all occurred between the 1st June and 26th August, in the municipalities of Castelfranco, Istrana, Paese, Montebelluna, Mogliano, Altivole, Volpago, Conegliano, Silea, Roncade, Nervesa and Oderzo. In addition to the theft, for two episodes they will have to answer for robbery: on 4 July in Roncade, when they pushed the victim who had tried to resist, making her end up in the hospital, and on 26 August in Castelfranco, when, holding the elderly man by the arm, they threatened to shoot him.

«The victims are our grandparents, our parents, our uncles. These blows had generated great social alarm, ”said the provincial commander of the carabinieri Gianfilippo Magro.