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Twenty-one police officers stationed at Rome’s Termini railway station are under investigation for allegedly stealing luxury clothing and perfume from a Coin department store, authorities said.
Nine railway police officers and 12 Carabinieri are among 44 people placed under investigation by Rome prosecutors for aggravated theft, according to Italian media.
The investigation began after the manager of the store on Via Giolitti — part of the Italian upmarket chain specialising in high-end goods — reported a €184,000 inventory shortfall in February 2024.
Items allegedly stolen included brand-name jackets, bags, shirts, belts, perfume, cosmetics, underwear and hats.
The shortfall accounted for 10.8% of the store’s revenue, more than four times the usual 2-3% rate at other Coin locations, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano.
After the initial discovery, management conducted further checks and found an additional €94,000 worth of merchandise had disappeared, with €45,000 from the perfumery department alone.
The store hired a private investigative agency, which installed new cameras, particularly at the register in the men’s department, according to reports. The footage from these cameras helped reveal the alleged scheme.
Investigators from the Carabinieri operational unit identified around 90 individual incidents over the four-month period from September to December 2024, according to prosecutors.
A store cashier is suspected of being central to the scheme, investigators said. The suspect allegedly removed anti-theft tags from pre-selected items, hid them near the counter, and processed checkout transactions for a few dozen euros while the actual value was significantly higher.
The cashier allegedly pocketed part of the money from the fraudulent transactions.
Investigators installed software at one of the store’s checkouts which revealed the discrepancies between transaction amounts and actual goods taken.
Among the police officers under investigation are a senior railway police manager, two commissioners, an inspector, an assistant chief, a deputy superintendent, a coordinating assistant chief, a chief superintendent and one female officer.
The 12 Carabinieri under investigation include a brigadier, several deputy brigadiers and selected corporals serving at the station. All have been transferred to other locations pending the investigation.
Each suspect is charged with involvement in one or two incidents, according to reports.
Andrea Falcetta, lawyer for eight of the officers under investigation, said his clients had made around 50 arrests in the past year and recovered thousands of euros worth of stolen goods through anti-theft operations.
“They have been under investigation since yesterday for episodes — of which we will prove the non-existence — worth a few tens of euros and not, as some have reported, for a round of hundreds of thousands of euros,” Falcetta said.
Four suspects are scheduled for preliminary questioning on 27 February. The Coin store at Termini station closed in May 2025, RomaToday reported.