Teen kidnapping gang smashed

(ANSA) - CATANIA, FEB 24 - Italian police on Wednesday smashed a teen gang that specialised in kidnappings, robberies and extortion near Catania in Sicily.
    They arrested four minors and an 18-year-old who was a minor when the alleged offences were committed.
    The gang members are relatives of figures in the local criminal world in Riposto near Catania, police said.
    The five were sent to youth homes in the provinces of Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Messina, Ragusa and Siracusa.
    Police said they allegedly abducted a shop owner and his two sons.
    They were also suspected of extorting and intimidating other businesspersons, exploiting their links to known criminals, police said.
    The gang had been reported to the police. (ANSA).