Elderly people fooled with laser pointer: “There is a gas leak.” Loot 200 thousand euros

Thefts and attempted thefts in the homes of elderly people: this is the subject of a police investigation which, in Turin, led to three arrests. Three members of a Sinti family (father-in-law and two sons-in-law) were taken to prison on precautionary custody orders. There are seven episodes reconstructed by investigators. In all cases, a group of fake radiator technicians who sneaked into the apartments claiming to have to check the pipes was called into action. The overall haul of the attacks, carried out in Turin and its province between 5 December 2023 and 22 February 2024 , was quantified at around 200 thousand euros in money and jewellery. The police mobile team identified the group through the car used for travel.

It was probably a simple laser pointer, but passed off as a sophisticated device for detecting corrosive gases, one of the tools used by the three alleged thieves arrested by the police. Based on what emerges from some testimonies, it seems that the false technicians convinced the elderly that substances harmful to objects, in particular jewelery and jewelry, were circulating in their apartment, thanks to the red dots that they made appear on the walls using the pointer. The precious items were collected all together to proceed with a ‘check’ and then, with skill, taken away. In the prosecutor’s office, the case is handled by prosecutor Giuseppe Drammis. The three arrested live in the Piobesi area, in the Turin area.