Palermo: Aggravated extortion and stalking of a trader, 4 Palermitans arrested
4 arrests
Palermo: Aggravated extortion and stalking of a trader, 4 Palermitans arrested
The Carabinieri of the Palermo Oreto Station have executed an order for the application of the precautionary measure of prison and house arrest issued by the Preliminary Investigations Judge of the Court of Palermo at the request of the local Public Prosecutor's Office against four citizens of Palermo accused – on various counts – of aggravated extortion and stalking.
The investigative activity, in the period between May and October of this year, was triggered following the complaint filed by the victim to the Carabinieri who intervened on the occasion of a physical assault suffered by the suspects. Exasperated by the situation, the trader found the strength to report the facts, retracing months of continuous extortion demands by four Palermitans who allegedly demanded consumer goods, threatening serious reprisals in the event of police involvement.
In particular, the four suspects allegedly carried out incessant bullying and domineering behavior, consuming and removing food and drinks from the premises without paying of a restaurant located near the Central Railway Station, managed by the injured party on one occasion, going so far as to attack the restaurant owner after he had asked them to vacate a table in the restaurant to make room for some customers.
The images recorded by the video surveillance systems in the area, the testimonies collected and the investigations conducted, have allowed the Carabinieri to collect a serious circumstantial evidence against a 56-year-old, a 41-year-old, a 38-year-old and a 21-year-old, all belonging to the same family unit which was examined by the Judicial Authority and used as the basis for the precautionary measure.
The 38-year-old was placed under house arrest with an electronic bracelet, while the other three suspects were respectively placed under house arrest and two under a restraining order with an electronic bracelet.
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