Three people — two men in their twenties and a man in his fifties — have been placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring on suspicion of aggravated theft committed jointly in a series of break-ins across the Sorrento Peninsula.
The measure was carried out by the Carabinieri of the Sorrento Company under an order from the preliminary investigations judge of the Torre Annunziata court, at the request of the public prosecutor's office. The case remains at the preliminary-investigation stage, and those under investigation are presumed innocent unless and until a final conviction is issued.
School computers, beach-club cash and H24 distributors
According to the allegations reported by investigators, the incidents span Piano di Sorrento, Sant'Agnello, Sorrento and Vico Equense.
The first alleged episode concerns the Istituto Comprensivo di Piano di Sorrento, where ten notebooks and four musical keyboards were reported stolen.
A later alleged theft targeted the Katarì beach establishment in Sant'Agnello, where about 4,000 euros in cash, two handheld ordering devices and several bottles of spirits were reported stolen.
Further alleged incidents involved H24 automatic vending machines in Sorrento and Vico Equense between 22 September and 4 October, with thefts of cash and banknote readers and damage to the machines.
How investigators built the case
Investigators relied on footage from video-surveillance systems, comparison with clothing found during searches of the suspects' homes, and the recovery of some of the computers taken from the school, which strengthened the case for the precautionary measure.
The exact quantity of recovered property has not been publicly specified, nor has the total value of damage to the vending machines and the beach-club premises.
What remains to be established
The names of the people under investigation have not been published. The accusations remain allegations in a preliminary proceeding and do not amount to a finding of guilt.
Any further decisions on the precautionary measures and on possible charges will fall to the Torre Annunziata judicial authority as the investigation continues.