Police in Caserta have arrested a 21-year-old Tunisian man in connection with three alleged street robberies near the city's railway station during the summer. A second man is being sought over alleged involvement in one of the episodes.
According to Il Mattino's Caserta edition, the incidents took place in streets around Caserta railway station. Investigators reconstructed three episodes: one in June involving a stolen wallet and alleged punches, one in July involving a gold necklace on Via Cesare Battisti, and one in August involving an attempted bag theft. The victims included women, among them tourists, travelling through central Caserta.
The arrest was carried out under a precautionary custody order issued by the preliminary-investigations judge in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, at the request of the local prosecutor's office. As with all precautionary measures, the allegations remain subject to judicial proceedings and do not amount to a final conviction.
The investigation was conducted by the Caserta Flying Squad, using private surveillance footage and other investigative work. Police describe the second suspect as a Tunisian man reported to be homeless; his identity has not been published, and the report does not say whether he had been located after publication.
The exact dates of the three summer episodes were not specified in the source account.
The newspaper distinguishes these summer cases from a separate necklace-snatching incident reported on 2 October on Corso Giannone, near the Reggia ticket office. That episode is not part of the three cases behind the arrest order.
The area between Piazza Garibaldi, outside the station, and Piazza Sant'Anna is described in the report as a zone with recurring concerns about fights, assaults and suspected drug-dealing activity.
