Sophisticated art thieves network operating at Rome airport uncovered

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A sophisticated network of art thieves made up of cleaning staff and ground crew at Rome's Fiumicino airport colluded to heist valuable paintings from passengers in transit.

The stolen works include two canvases by Italian contemporary artistsUgo Attardi and Renato Guttuso worth a total of €50,000 (£37,000).

Police said the gang devised a plan to steal the works of art by pretending to bring them to oversized baggage collection points.

But unbeknown to passengers, the thieves had already located a safe spot to hide the paintings before they could be sold on the black market.

“Wearing the uniforms they usually would to carry out their work in the airport, they were easily able to convince passengers they had genuine intentions,” the State Police wrote in a statement.

“The victims of the scam noticed something was wrong only after a good deal of time had passed, allowing the offenders to conceal the stolen goods.”

Italian regulations require that all oversized items are sent to the collection points, police added.

Several canvases belonging to foreign passengers were found in the possession of airport cleaners and investigations are underway to find their rightful owners as well as the intended destination of the stolen works.

Police said several artworks belonging to an “important art gallery” in Rome had been recovered.

Two airport workers are currently facing charges as part of the investigation carried out by Italian Border Police.

Italian media speculated they may have been working under commission.

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