Milan: two Egyptian men detained over fatal fake carabinieri scam on 92-year-old

The attack in Porta Romana

On 27 October, police found a 92-year-old man lying injured on the floor of his flat in the Porta Romana area of Milan, where he lived alone. He was taken in serious condition to the Policlinico hospital and died the following day, 28 October. At first the death looked like a fall after a fainting spell, and the case seemed routine.

Emanuele Fattori, the Squadra Mobile official leading the inquiry, told Il Giornale that something was wrong inside the flat, where some household items were out of place.

“There were elements that made us think someone had entered.”

Fattori's team later found that the man had suffered a serious skull fracture. The autopsy was then treated as a homicide case.

Autopsy and investigation

The forensic examiner reported several cranial fractures, which investigators said were incompatible with a simple fainting spell and the fall that would have followed. Police reviewed CCTV footage and analysed phone traffic data, and within days built what they described as a significant body of evidence against two men.

According to the investigators' reconstruction, one suspect acted as lookout while the other entered the flat, attacked the pensioner and took jewellery and other valuables. Il Giornale reported that investigators believe the victim realised his visitor was not a carabiniere, and that he was then struck on the head with a blunt object.

Arrests and an earlier case

On Friday, 13 November, police detained the two Egyptian nationals, aged 22 and 19, on orders from the Milan prosecutor's office. They are suspected of aggravated robbery and homicide. Before the Milan killing, the pair had been arrested in Varese for a burglary at the home of another elderly person, and were released after the validation hearing.

Il Giornale, citing the Squadra Mobile's reconstruction, places the two men within a network of fake carabinieri scammers based in Naples. The same outlet says the scheme involves phone calls and a pretext of a routine check to get elderly people to open their doors.

What remains open

Both men are suspected, not convicted, and the case so far rests on the investigators' account. The sources do not say whether the suspects have made any statement or appointed lawyers. The victim's name is not given in the reporting.