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Three were caught
in the act last November and dragged out of the underground
tunnels in handcuffs by agents who specialize in underwater
operations, Carabinieri police said. The same three, together
with three accomplices, were detained on Monday and have been
jailed pending trial.
The band targeted boutiques including jeweler Bulgari, and had
expected to net 300,000 euros ($330,450) each from a foiled raid
on upmarket jeweler and clothier Bruno & Pisano.
They slipped into the sewers through manholes in the city's
Spanish Quarter, traversed the honeycomb of tunnels below ground
and dug judicious exit points under the shops.
Police found the holes and intervened to foil six robberies in
all, police captain Michele Centola said, adding that five of
the six thieves had already served jail time for the same kind
of crime.
"It's a deep-rooted problem here," Centola sighed.
The investigation is ongoing.
(Reporting by Isla Binnie; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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