A 13-year-old boy was stopped by police on the island of Procida carrying 1,550 euros and jewellery in his backpack after allegedly defrauding an 83-year-old local resident. The teenager used the well-known "fake carabinieri" ruse — a scam in which perpetrators pose as law enforcement officers — to deceive the elderly woman out of her cash and valuables. The recovered items have been returned to the victim.
The boy, who is below the age of criminal responsibility under Italian law, lives in Naples with his grandmother, mother and younger sister. His father is currently in prison, and his mother was on holiday in the Lazio region at the time of the incident.
The case has been referred to the juvenile prosecutor's office in Naples for review.