A 36-year-old native of Belarus broke into an apartment in the Italian city of Ostia, stole cash, credit cards and other personal belongings, then went to a shop and used a stolen card to buy lottery tickets. The purchase was tracked by police, who detained him, the Rome police press service reported.
The incident occurred in central Ostia several days ago. Rome police published the account of the Belarusian man on 13 February.
The apartment owner spotted the thief in the garden of the residential complex, where he was attempting to take her husband’s scooter. Startled by the woman’s screams, the man dropped the vehicle and fled.
Apparently believing he had successfully carried out the theft, the Belarusian decided to try his luck once more and used the stolen cards to purchase “scratch and win” lottery tickets.
While the victim was speaking with police on the phone, she began receiving notifications about purchases on her phone. Officers immediately went to the shop and detained the suspect as he was attempting to buy cigarettes at a tobacco store using the same bank card.
An immediate personal search confirmed the circumstances of the case. In his pocket, police found the woman’s wallet containing the remaining cash, the stolen cards and the cigarettes he had just purchased.
Thanks to the geolocation function, officers soon also located a tablet and wireless earphones stolen from the apartment, which the man had hidden in a jacket deliberately “left” in the shade near a bush.
The man was arrested on charges of aggravated theft and unlawful use of credit cards.