A 69-year-old Naples woman who had a
500,000-euro-winning scratch card stolen from her by the
tobacconist who sold it to her has finally been able to cash it
in, Italy's Customs and Monopolies Agency has said.
The tobacconist, Gaetano Scutellaro, aged 57, has repented and
apologised, his lawyer said earlier this month.
Scutellaro was stopped by border police as he tried to embark on
a flight to the Canary Islands at Rome's Fiumicino airport after
stealing the card and subsequently detained by Carabinieri
police as he drove back to Naples.
Police tracked down the winning card in a bank in Latina, a city
between Naples and Rome.
Scutellaro is accused of aggravated theft and attempted
extortion as it is suspected that he may have tried to get money
from the card's authentic owner to return it.
The tobacconist had initially said that the card was his and the
woman was lying.
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