British pensioner, 82, has £7,000 Rolex stripped off her wrist by balaclava-wearing robber in Italy
British pensioner, 82, has £7,000 Rolex stripped off her wrist by balaclava-wearing robber in Italy
A British pensioner had her £7,000 Rolex snatched from her wrist by a balaclava-clad robber while on holiday in Italy, according to local media.
The tourist, 82, was walking with her husband in Naples when the thief grabbed her arm and snatched the watch from her.
The robbery took place around noon on via Cesario Console near the coast, Quotidiano Nazionale reports.
Despite a passerby trying to intercept the thief as he ran away, he was able to make off with the pricey Rolex Oyster.
The robber reportedly jumped onto a moped driven by a getaway driver to evade arrest.
A British tourist, 82, was walking with her husband in Naples when a thief grabbed her arm and snatched her Rolex from her (stock image)
The Carabinieri of the Chiaia station are now investigating the incident and the victim is said to have been unharmed.
The loot is just one of a string of robberies targeting foreign tourists in the popular coastal city, where another pensioner was also robbed yesterday.
Following the incident involving the unnamed British couple, a 73-year-old Serbian woman was snatched from her shoulder bag in the city center.
The perpetrator, a young man, snatched the bag from her in Piazza Municipio and immediately fled.
Fortunately, in this case, an officer on a motorcycle saw the incident and gave chase.
The 23-year-old was caught and the pensioner’s bag was returned to her.
Tourists have also fallen victim to on-the-spot thieves in the northern city of Milan, which is popular with British travellers.
In the city last August, a 42-year-old British tourist had his £9,227 Rolex lifted off his wrist after dancing with three boys in the street.
Milan is a popular holiday destination for British tourists, but pickpockets are a regular occurrence
On the streets of Porta Nuova, a hub of clubs and other entertainment venues, three boys reportedly of North African descent approached the tourist on Sunday and offered him illegal drugs.
The tourist refused, but then inexplicably ended up dancing with the three boys Milan today described as a form of ballet.
After the dance was over, the tourist realized that his watch was gone. He quickly contacted the police and reported the theft.
In early July 2022, another thief stole a £59,000 watch from a man in central Milan.