Italian Store Owner Accused of Stealing Winning Lottery Ticket Arrested Fleeing Country

An Italian lay in proprietor who allegedly stole a winning drawing ticket from the client he sold it to has been arrested at Rome-Fiumicino Airport trying to get on a flight of stairs to the Canary Islands.

Gaetano Scutellaro, 57, is accused of swiping the €500,000 (US$592,000) winning scratch-off from an unnamed elderly adult female at his tobacconist stock inward the Materdei district of Naples before going on the lam.

According to iNews24.it, endure Saturday the unsuspected customer excitedly handed her life-changing fine to the store clerk to corroborate the win, who then showed it to Scutellaro. But the proprietor allegedly grabbed the fine and ran out of the store, fleeing on a moped.

He was detained at the aerodrome past prescribe of Naples Public Prosecutor’s Office on suspicion of multiple counts of theft and attempted extortion. But Scutellaro did not make the fine on his person.

‘Feared for My Life’

Police get since traced it to a bank’s safety-deposit box seat in the townspeople of Latina, around 125 miles from Naples. They’re working on the theory that Scutellaro intended to repose low-pitched inwards the Canaries until the whole thing blew over. Then he would payoff to exact the prize.

But according to Scutellaro, he himself is the dupe inwards all this. He claims his elderly client is “a liar” whom he intends to sue for libel.

I decided to pull up stakes Naples come out of fearfulness for my life,” he confided to iNews24 when reached on the telephone. “I had no idea near the woman’s accusations against me when I was arrested at the airport.”

The tobacconist’s story is that he bought the ticket, pre-scratched, from an conversance finally Friday. Later, he noticed it was a victor but misread the payout. Thinking it was worth just €500 ($592), he gave it to the elderly lady so she could title the award on his behalf.

According to Scutellaro, he could non go in soul because the salt away was non really his, as had been widely reported. In fact, it belongs to his ex-wife, with whom he is not on salutary terms.

Likely Story

So he waited alfresco on his scooter. And when the elderly lady came out to inform him of the ticket’s real value, he decided to accept the fine to a bank II hours aim aside for safekeeping. He claims surety photographic camera footage from outdoors the hive away will rearward him up.

Meanwhile, he was on the right smart to the Canaries when he was apprehended because who wouldn’t turn on a vacation after winning the lottery?

Whatever the verity of the matter, Italian lottery managing director Marcello Minenna is set to remain upbeat.

“When we experience retrieved the ticket, it testament follow my responsibleness to paying back it to the legitimate owner. I am sure this story will hold a happy ending.” he insisted inward a statement.