Carabinieri in Formello arrested two young men from Naples, aged 18 and 19, on suspicion of attempted aggravated fraud after an alleged scam targeting an elderly couple.
According to reports in Il Mattino and RomaToday, the two suspects allegedly posed as carabinieri from the Mentana station. They contacted the couple by phone and claimed compensation was owed over a robbery that had never taken place, in a story linked to the couple's car.
Instead of finding vulnerable victims at the door, the suspects found the real carabinieri waiting for them. The commander of the Formello station and a colleague had posed as health workers making a home visit, allowing them to stay inside the home and intervene when the two arrived. Both young men were arrested at the entrance to the residence.
Il Mattino reports that the arrests were subsequently validated by the judicial authority.
How the alleged scam worked
The accounts describe a sequence commonly seen in impersonation fraud cases, here reconstructed only from what the two cited reports state:
- An initial phone call in which the callers presented themselves as personnel from the Mentana carabinieri station.
- A demand for money, presented as compensation connected to a robbery that had never occurred.
- A planned home pickup, with the suspects traveling to the elderly couple's residence to collect money or valuables.
- The intervention of the real carabinieri, who had taken the place of health workers during a simulated home visit and stopped the suspects at the doorway.
No precise value has been reported for the money or valuables the suspects allegedly sought to obtain.
What is confirmed and what is not yet known
The published reports identify the location as Formello, the alleged victims as an elderly couple, and the suspects as an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old, both originally from Naples.
The sources consulted do not give the names of the suspects. They also do not specify the exact date and time of the police operation.
The case remains at the investigative stage. The available information concerns suspected attempted aggravated fraud, not a final determination of criminal responsibility.
