(ANSA) – REGGIO CALABRIA, 02 DEC – They sold cars, tractors, excavators, scooters online. But all the assets were actually non-existent. For this 18 people were arrested – 8 under house arrest – as part of the “Nassa 3.0” operation conducted by the Postal Police and coordinated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Palmi. The measures were signed by the investigating judge Manuela Morrone at the request of the prosecutors Giorgio Panucci and Salvatore Rossello. The suspects are accused, for various reasons, of criminal association aimed at fraud, money laundering, substitution of person and unlawful processing of personal data. All, according to the prosecutors, belonged to a criminal association operating on the Ionian and Tyrrhenian sides of the province of Reggio Calabria.
According to the investigators, the arrested would have used a series of ingenious stratagems to “cover up” their actual identities and an organized and complex modus operandi through which buyers would be convinced of the genuineness of the sale. The victims paid the amount on rechargeable cards or bank accounts found in the name of some suspects, without however receiving the goods. The scam, from 2016 to 2018, would have yielded over 200 thousand euros against over 85 episodes identified. There are numerous financial relationships, current accounts, credit, debit and prepaid cards, used to bring together the sums paid by the victims. Even more numerous telephones, utilities and sim cards used for the conduct and execution of negotiations and for the exchange of information aimed at inserting advertisements on the various e-commerce platforms used and considered fictitious by investigators. The investigating judge highlighted the existence of a current and concrete danger of repetition of the crimes. According to the investigators, in fact, there would have been a sort of systematic nature of the conduct implemented by the organization capable of renewing itself and continuing in the illegal activity.
The arrests were carried out in Siderno, Gioiosa Ionica, Mammola, Locri, Anoia, Galatro and Giffone and one in the province of Modena. The Postal Police seized computer equipment deemed useful for the investigation. (HANDLE).
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Source From: Ansa
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