Where did the burglary take place?

The incident took place in Piazza Giovanni XXIII, in the area in front of the Gallarate train station. According to the reconstruction of the Carabinieri, the group approached the pensioner and snatched from his hands a bag with a cigarette stick purchased shortly before from a tobacconist in the area.

Who are the two minors detained?

These are two boys aged 17 and 14, arrested in flagrante delicto by the Carabinieri of the Operational and Radiomobile Unit of the Compagnia di Gallarate. They are accused of burglary of a 75-year-old pensioner. At the end of the investigations, they were made available to the juvenile judicial authority and accompanied to the "Cesare Beccaria" First Reception Centre in Milan.

What happened to the third young man?

According to the military, the two minors allegedly acted with a third young man, yet to be identified. After the tear, the three walked away and two were quickly stopped by the Carabinieri patrol. The third alleged accomplice managed to disappear; the investigation continues and the images of the municipal video surveillance of the station area are also analyzed.

Gallarate, two minors detained for snatch theft

By Redazione Frontaliere Ticino (AI-generated text) · Published on 18 October 2026

The Carabinieri of the Operational and Radio-Mobile Unit of the Gallarate Company arrested two boys, aged 17 and 14, in the act.

Context

TL;DR

Two minors aged 17 and 14 arrested in the act
A 75-year-old pensioner falls, but is not injured
The stolen goods are recovered and returned

Key facts

Location: Piazza Giovanni XXIII, in front of the station
Charge: theft with snatching
Minors: 17 and 14 years old
Presumed third young man: still to be identified
Stolen goods: a carton of cigarettes
Outcome: taken to the «Cesare Beccaria» First Reception Centre in Milan

The apprehension after the snatching

The Carabinieri of the Operational and Radio-Mobile Unit of the Gallarate Company arrested two boys, aged 17 and 14, in the act. Both are accused of snatching something from a 75-year-old pensioner.

The incident took place in front of the railway station, in Piazza Giovanni XXIII. According to the officers’ reconstruction, this is the area where the intervention leading to the apprehension of the two minors took place.

The Carabinieri’s reconstruction indicates that the two boys allegedly acted with a third young man. The alleged accomplice is therefore part of the reconstruction of what happened, but his identity has yet to be established.

The group allegedly approached the elderly man and snatched from his hand a bag containing a carton of cigarettes. The carton had been purchased shortly beforehand at a tobacconist’s in the area.

The third young man is described as still being in the process of identification, while the two boys were apprehended in the act. The charge reported by the officers remains theft with snatching against the pensioner.

Operational details

The fall and the escape

The patrol's intervention

During the snatching, the pensioner ended up on the ground, but the Carabinieri reported that the 75-year-old remained unharmed.

Immediately after the incident, the three youths fled on foot. For two of them, however, the escape did not last long: a Carabinieri patrol, passing through the area, allegedly witnessed the scene.

The patrol was engaged in the usual area-monitoring services. As they passed through the station area, the officers allegedly saw what was happening and managed to quickly detain the two minors.

In the report provided by the Carabinieri, the patrol's passage through the area and direct sight of the scene preceded the detention of the two youths. The intervention therefore unfolded while the officers were already engaged in ordinary area-monitoring duties.

The third youth, on the other hand, managed to get away. The reported sequence thus distinguishes the two detained minors from the alleged accomplice who remains to be identified, while the group's departure is described as having occurred on foot.

The sequence unfolded in the area in front of the station: after the snatching, the three moved away and the patrol passing by quickly detained two of them. Although he fell, the pensioner did not suffer injuries, according to what the officers reported.

Key points

The stolen goods and what followed

The checks still underway

The carton of cigarettes was recovered and returned to the pensioner. The stolen goods mentioned in the reconstruction therefore returned to the 75-year-old after the checks carried out by the Carabinieri.

The two boys were taken to the «Cesare Beccaria» First Reception Center in Milan after being placed at the disposal of the juvenile judicial authorities.

For the third alleged accomplice, what follows is different: the youth managed to get away and still has to be identified. Meanwhile, the Carabinieri's investigations continue to clarify his identity and his role in the incident.

The checks also include analysis of images from the municipal video-surveillance systems. The cameras considered by investigators cover the station area, where the snatching against the pensioner took place.

The follow-up indicated by the source therefore develops on two distinct fronts. On the one hand, the two minors have already been placed at the disposal of the juvenile judicial authorities and taken to Milan. On the other, investigations remain open into the youth who is said to have managed to flee.

The analysis of the municipal video surveillance concerns precisely the station area and accompanies the search for the third alleged accomplice. The recovered carton, on the other hand, was returned to the pensioner.

Source: varesenews.it

Frequently Asked Questions

Where did the burglary take place?: The incident took place in Piazza Giovanni XXIII, in the area in front of the Gallarate train station. According to the reconstruction of the Carabinieri, the group approached the pensioner and snatched from his hands a bag with a cigarette stick purchased shortly before from a tobacconist in the area.
Who are the two minors detained?: These are two boys aged 17 and 14, arrested in flagrante delicto by the Carabinieri of the Operational and Radiomobile Unit of the Compagnia di Gallarate. They are accused of burglary of a 75-year-old pensioner. At the end of the investigations, they were made available to the juvenile judicial authority and accompanied to the "Cesare Beccaria" First Reception Centre in Milan.
What happened to the third young man?: According to the military, the two minors allegedly acted with a third young man, yet to be identified. After the tear, the three walked away and two were quickly stopped by the Carabinieri patrol. The third alleged accomplice managed to disappear; the investigation continues and the images of the municipal video surveillance of the station area are also analyzed.