Copper thefts, another hit at the Tradate cemetery

Context

TL;DR

• New copper theft at Tradate cemetery
• Several sheets stolen from the roof covering
• Water in the first-floor corridor
• Carabinieri investigations into the external cameras

Key facts

• Location → Tradate cemetery on the Varesina
• Affected area → roof facing the market square
• Consequences → damage and water infiltration
• Investigations → Carabinieri and external video surveillance

The inspection in Tradate

The new incident affected Tradate cemetery, overlooking the Varesina. The theft left part of the roof exposed, resulting in damage and water infiltration. The affected section is the one facing the market square, where the inspection established that several copper sheets had been removed.

Some citizens reported the situation after noticing water in the first-floor corridor, which had become slippery and potentially dangerous. The subsequent inspection established that the sheets had been removed and identified the affected part of the roof.

The reports thus led to the inspection: first, water was noticed in the passageway on the first floor, then several missing copper sheets were identified. The situation described therefore includes both the theft of the metal and the consequences for the roof and the indoor areas reached by the infiltrations.

In the corridor, the water had made the floor slippery. The same report revealed a possible danger for those passing through the first floor, while the inspection pinpointed the section of the roof facing the market square. The source describes a precise sequence: reports from citizens, an on-site check, identification of the removed sheets and investigations into what happened.

For Tradate cemetery, the latest theft does not end with the removal of the copper. The roof was damaged and the water reached an indoor area of the cemetery. These are the immediate consequences reported in the reconstruction, together with the citizens' report that led to the situation being checked.

The new incident is therefore part of the scourge of copper thefts in the area's cemeteries. The inspection clarified what material was removed and the location of the section of roof involved; the rest of the reconstruction has been entrusted to the ongoing investigations.

Operational details

Not an isolated incident

The Tradate cemetery had already been targeted in the preceding days. On that occasion, the thieves had torn out gutters and downspouts from some chapels. Realizing that the material was not copper, they had abandoned it nearby.

The other damaged structures

During that incursion, the marble part of a tomb was also damaged. According to the reconstruction, the structure may have been used to reach the roof coverings: the text maintains cautious wording on this point and speaks of a possibility.

The earlier incident and the new theft therefore involve different elements. In the case of the chapels, gutters and downspouts had been removed but left near the cemetery when it emerged that they were not copper. In the case of the roof, the site inspection instead established that several copper sheets had been stolen.

The succession of episodes draws attention to a phenomenon that, according to the source, continues to affect burial sites in the area. The consequences are not limited to the value of the material: economic damage, restoration costs, inconvenience for visitors, and damage to structures and tombs are also indicated.

At Tradate, the damaged roof and water that entered the corridor add to the consequences described for this type of incursion. The presence of a damaged marble tomb also shows how the action affected elements other than the roof coverings. The local picture therefore includes roof coverings, gutters, downspouts, and tombs, with damage of different kinds.

Key points

Ongoing investigations

Investigations into what happened are being conducted by the Carabinieri. The reconstruction remains to be verified and also includes the possible connection between the removal of the roof panels and the incident that had affected the chapels in the preceding days. It cannot be ruled out that the two incidents are connected, but the possible link will have to be verified.

The possible connection

The two events are therefore being considered as part of the same reconstruction only as a hypothesis. The first concerns the section of roofing facing the market square and the presence of several stolen copper panels; the other concerns torn-out gutters and downspouts, later abandoned because they were not made of copper, as well as damage to the marble part of a tomb. Comparison of these elements is still entrusted to the investigations.

Among the tools that could be used are images from the surveillance cameras outside the cemetery. The source reports that the Carabinieri could make use of this footage. Their possible examination falls within the still-open investigative phase, together with verification of the reconstruction and of any connection between the two incidents.

The further course of the affair is therefore tied to verification of the facts and of the possible link. What has already been established, however, is the damage to the roof, water infiltration, and the report of water in the corridor on the first floor. The new incident once again draws attention to the cemeteries in the area, where copper thefts can result in economic damage, restoration costs, inconvenience for visitors, and damage to structures and tombs.

In Tradate, the reconstruction remains entrusted to the investigations by the Carabinieri and to the possible use of the external images. Until the possible connection is verified, the two incidents remain separate in the reconstruction, while not ruling out a relationship between them.

Source: varesenoi.it