Mumbai Police get custody of four Italian nationals for trespassing into Charkop metro depot

The accused

The Mumbai Police took custody of four Italian nationals from Gujarat Police who were arrested by the Ahmedabad crime branch on Sunday for allegedly trespassing and causing damage to public property by painting graffiti on Metro coaches.

According to information received from Mumbai Police sources, a team of 12 police personnel had reached Ahmadabad chasing these four Italians, who were taken into custody by the Ahmadabad crime branch 2 hours before their arrival.

The Mumbai Police team stayed in Gujarat and waited for their judicial custody and last evening on transits remand, all four were brought to Mumbai, and directly they produced them before the Borivli Metropolitan Magistrate court. The court has granted three days of police custody to the Mumbai police for the investigations.

According to police, the four Italian nationals were not cooperating in the interrogation. They have completely rejected the allegations of painting graffiti on a Metro coach in Ahmedabad and the attempt they made of painting graffiti by entering the Charkop Metro Yard.

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"We have seized dozens of different types of cameras, memory cards and colour sprays from the accused. Their refusal raised doubts that if they had not come for painting graffiti, then what was their other purpose? Is there some big conspiracy going on in their mind? This is the reason that the special agencies of the country including IB, RAW and ATS officials have become active and they are coming for questioning the accused suspecting any terror angles," said an officer from the north region police.

The four accused Cudini Gianluca, 24; Baldo Sacha Italiana, 29; Starinieri Daniele, 21; and Capecchi Paolo, 27, came to Mumbai on 24 September and went to Gujarat on September 27 a day after they made an attempt to enter the Charkop Metro yard for painting graffiti by climbing the boundary wall of the nalla near Atharva College.

During the interrogation, the accused said that had come to India first, arrived in Mumbai on September 24, went to Gujarat on September 27 and was scheduled to return to Italy on October 11 or October 14.

Accused Baldo Sacha and Starinieri Daniele used to work as food delivery boys while Cudini Gianluca and Capecchi Paolo work as tattoo artists.

We have brought these accused on transit remand from Gujarat police and produced them before the court on Tuesday evening. The court has remanded all to three days of police custody, said another officer.