At the first light of dawn yesterday, 22 April, the State Police carried out a precautionary measure against 4 young people from Bitonto, 3 of whom with police records, held responsible, investigations carried out in the preliminary investigation phase, which require of the subsequent procedural verification in the cross-examination with the defense, of theft and recycling of cars.
In detail, three suspects were the recipients of the coercive measure of house arrest, while the fourth was subjected to the precautionary measure of the obligation to stay.
The investigation in question, conducted by the Flying Squad of the Bari Police Headquarters with the coordination of this Public Prosecutor’s Office, was launched with the main aim of stemming the escalation of car thefts, which occurred in the Bari hinterland during the spring of 2023 ; a criminal phenomenon amplified, moreover, by the viral spread of a video on social media, which documented the theft of a car, in broad daylight, on the seafront of Santo Spirito, a well-known tourist resort on the outskirts of Bari.
The investigative actions carried out, consisting of stalking activities, electronic tailing and video surveillance, have made it possible to identify a solid criminal group, with a single control room, dedicated to the theft and recycling of cars, including very new generation ones. , which could also count on logistical bases, within which it kept the cars, even large ones, used to commit thefts, frequency inhibitors, so-called “jammers”, and tools suitable for burglary.
At first, the investigation activities were concentrated in the countryside of the city of Bitonto, where the cars stolen by the group or acquired at their disposal were “cannibalized” in just a few minutes. Fundamental in the economy of the investigation, the identification and seizure, in a building including a home with an adjoining fenced industrial warehouse, of a black Audi RS3 car, having the same characteristics as a car that had escaped checks several times of the police forces, even through dangerous chases.
The aforementioned car, from subsequent investigations, was found to be theft, with a counterfeit chassis number attached.
Overall, the criminal group identified was charged with 12 criminal episodes, all committed between April and May 2023.
