Italian police officers arrested 37 citizens of Georgia as a result of a special operation on July 18. Three of the arrested individuals are reportedly women. Law enforcement representatives said the criminal group had been burgling houses in Rome and the suburbs using the “key bumping” method which ensured no trace of breaking in was left on door locks. Local police members said they believed the lock-picks used in the method were manufactured in Georgia and sent to the group in Italy.
The international media has reported the operation as the second in the recent months involving citizens of Georgia in organized crime. Previously the Italian law enforcement operatives had arrested fourteen members of a Georgian group in 2012. Search of the group members’ apartments resulted in the discovery of gold and silver items, jewelry and expensive computers, with a total value of close to two million Euros.