ROME - Three violent robberies were carried out in less than 24 hours between Termini and Esquilino in a recent investiagtion by il Messaggero.

  One involved an attempted strangling, another with punches to the face and the third culminated with a brawl inside the Oppio Caffe, in front of the Colosseum, just to get away without paying for a drink. 

 The police so far have arrested three of the alleged robbers, who were all very young and had arrived in Rome but a few days ago after crossing the Mediterranean Sea from the coast of North Africa. 

 The first robbery took place at via Cavour, where three men spotted a 38-year-old Italian man, who had spent the evening with friends and was waiting for an Uber at via dei Quattro Cantoni.

 They approached him with excuses and then began threatening him for money and his cell phone. 

 The victim reacted but the three men immobilized him with an onslaught of punches and then fled on foot having ripped the phone from his hands. 

 The victim was taken to hospital with bruises and contusions and then discharged to recover for at least a week, physically.

 This was at 2:45 a.m. but the three continued their criminal odyssey. 

 Due to the evidence collected by the Viminale police station, their movements could be reconstructed almost street by street.

 The group then picks up another boy and spots their second victim, a 34-year-old Roman academic, who recently returned to the capital after spending a long time abroad. 

 There was almost no-one around and the victim did not notice that the group had been following him around for a few minutes. 

 When he reached the corner between via Daniele Manin and via Giovanni Amendola, they surround him. 

 Again they began with excuses and threats before one of them tightened his hands around the victim’s neck until he fell to the ground, they then proceeded to grab his bag, smartphone and searched his pockets before escaping on foot. 

 Fortunately, apart from the shock, the man was not seriously injured. 

 In both cases police patrol cars were able to intervene and allowing the victims to file complaints and the investigative team to get to work immediately. 

 On Monday afternoon, they located two of the alleged perpetrators, who were recognised by the victims and they were arrested for aggravated robbery.

 They were both 18-year-old Tunisian citizens, who had recently arrived in Rome and had not had criminal records, until Monday.

 The other two were still missing until Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, when a third robbery was committed.

 A 24-year-old man originally from Morocco, was drinking at the bar in Oppio Caffe, which is a popular café amongst tourists known for its breath-taking views of the Colosseum and then tried to get away without paying. 

 An employee intervened and then the owner himself.

 The man then fled on foot and remained at large for a few hours after attacking and beating both the employee and the owner. 

 The man was then apprehended around Termini station and was held on account of the testimonies of the employee and the owner. 

 This all comes after an increase of thefts in both Rome and Milan.

 According to a Cusano University study, from 2022 there had been a 3.8% uptick in reported crimes in Italy with Rome and Milan accounting for 15% of total reports.

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