A long series of shop thefts, followed by a knife-point robbery against a passer-by.
This is the picture that has emerged from the past few weeks involving a 30-year-old Tunisian man, homeless and already known to law enforcement, who was arrested after being caught stealing from a shop on viale Vespucci in Rimini. He was stopped by carabinieri from the Rimini Porto station, who subsequently reconstructed a series of incidents dating back to late September and October.
The arrest followed a theft at a shop in Marina Centro. The 30-year-old allegedly made off with several products before fleeing, attempting to lose himself among the streets of the area.
Officers on a routine patrol of the area intercepted him shortly afterwards. A brief confrontation reportedly ensued, with the man resisting before being restrained.
He was found carrying a folding knife with a five-centimetre blade, which was seized. The stolen goods were returned to their owner.
However, the theft that led to his arrest appears to have been only the latest in a series. Further investigation by carabinieri led them to identify the 30-year-old as the suspected perpetrator of eight other thefts, committed between late September and mid-October at the expense of two businesses located between viale Vespucci and via Tripoli.
Serious evidence has also emerged linking him to an armed robbery that took place on 21 October. According to investigators’ reconstruction, he allegedly approached a passer-by and, threatening him with a knife, forced him to hand over his smartphone.
For the earlier incidents, the 30-year-old has been reported to the authorities, while the arrest itself relates to aggravated theft, resisting a public official, and unlawful possession of weapons or objects capable of causing harm. On order of the judicial authority, he has been transferred to Rimini prison, where he remains at the disposal of the magistrates.
