Armed robbers have made off with more than £18,000 worth of Argentine pesos from Lionel Messi’s wife’s family supermarket after targeting a cousin of the famous mum-of-three.
The female relative, named locally as 23-year-old Agustina Scalia, was transporting more than £18,000 in Argentine pesos from the family supermarket in Lavelle, near the center of Rosario, to a nearby bank when they were robbed on Wednesday morning.
The criminals fired a shot at the car before fleeing after the violent robbery, and photos from the scene show a bullet lodged in the side of the vehicle.
Two attackers are said to have gotten out of a white car, believed to be a Ford Focus, with tinted windows in the city center and approached the black Chevrolet Onix Agustina, along with two others inside.
They then smashed the window and grabbed two bags, each filled with four million pesos in cash, before running off.
Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, although the occupants of the Chevrolet were treated for shock.
Lionel Messi’s (pictured) female relative, locally named Agustina Scalia, is alleged to have transported almost £20,000 in Argentine pesos from the family supermarket
Agustina Scalia is the cousin of Lionel Messi’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo (photo)
Agustina Scalia (pictured, center) was robbed of more than £18,000 in pesos during an armed robbery today
Agustina was treated at the scene by paramedics, and police placed traffic cones around the scene
Marianela, a worker from Único who was in the car during the robbery, told local media: ‘We went from the store to the bank to deposit money. They broke our windows and took our bags.
‘The moment it all started, all I heard was shaking. When we got out, we saw the bullet impact.’
She added that she did not know how the robbers knew they had the large amount of money.
‘We left with closed bags. They didn’t give us exact information about how much there was. We left it on the couch and came back. We don’t always do that.’
‘The driver was Agustina, the owner of the company. She tried to speed up but we had a car in front of us and he couldn’t so he hit the car.”
Agustina was treated at the scene by paramedics, and police placed traffic cones around the scene.
During the robbery, the robbers fired at least one bullet
Police are still investigating the robbery and said the attackers used “at least one car.”
Police Chief Diego Santamaria said: ‘The shooting apparently occurred as the vehicle attempted to drive away’
Police are still investigating the robbery and told local media they have not ruled out that a second vehicle was involved.
Police chief Diego Santamaria revealed details of the robbery this morning, saying: ‘The two targets left the supermarket and headed to a nearby bank.
‘They were intercepted by a white car whose occupants smashed the window and took backpacks containing a large amount of money, estimated by the victims to be around eight million Argentine pesos.
‘At least one car took part in the crime. The shooting is believed to have occurred as the vehicle attempted to drive away from the crime scene.
“There are cameras in the area.”
A doctor who assisted the victims of the robbery told local media: “They have minor abrasions and high blood pressure, but otherwise everything is fine.”
The shock attack comes just months after gunmen attacked a supermarket in Rosario owned by Antonela’s family, called Supermercado Unico and managed by one of her cousins, leaving a chilling message for the football star.
One of the two men on a motorcycle was caught on CCTV walking up to the property and repeatedly shooting at metal shutters over the windows and front door.
More than half a dozen shots were fired at the supermarket.
The attackers left a handwritten message at the scene which, referring to Rosario’s mayor Pablo Javkin, read: “Messi Javkin will not take care of you.”
A local TV station reporting on the attack claimed at the time that the report suggested criminals may be trying to extort money from the former Barcelona footballer.
Mauricio Macri, an Argentine businessman who served as president of the South American country from 2015 to 2019, described the incident in March as terrible and offered his support to the footballer and his wife.
Referring to Lionel by his shortened name Leo, as he is better known in his home country and other Spanish-speaking countries, and referring to the drug-fueled violence in Rosario, he tweeted: “This is terrible.
“Another warning to the national government and the Santa Fe government that you cannot live with narcos.
‘They must be fought vigorously.’
Messi owns a huge mansion on the outskirts of Rosario called ‘The Fortress’.
The monster property, built on three adjacent plots on a gated private estate, has a huge cinema, a gym and an underground garage with enough space for 15 cars.
He married his wife Antonela in a glitzy wedding at Rosario’s City Center Hotel and Casino in June 2017.
Guests included former Man City striker Sergio Aguero and Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez.
More to follow.