KOCHI: The police have ruled out the involvement of four Italian nationals arrested by the Gujarat crime branch in the graffiti painted on a Kochi Metro train in May this year. A Kochi City police team led by the Station House Officer of Kochi Metro police station questioned the four Italians twice at a jail in Ahmedabad this week.
Cudini Gianluca, 24, Baldo Sacha, 29, Starinieri Daniele, 21, and Capecchi Paolo, 27, were arrested by the Gujarat crime branch for painting graffiti on a metro train in Ahmedabad earlier this month. “We have ruled out the involvement of these Italians in the case related to the Kochi Metro train. We checked the travel details of these people. They came to India for the first time in September this year,” a police officer said.
After being questioned by the Gujarat crime branch, the Italians were grilled by the Mumbai police. The arrested persons, soon after reaching India, tried to trespass into the Charkop metro yard in Mumbai but failed. On May 22, some unidentified persons entered the Muttom metro yard in Kochi by breaking the barbed fences and painted ‘Burn Play’ and ‘First Hit Kochi’ on the coaches of a parked metro train. Though the police launched a probe, the persons involved could not be traced.
Police suspect that the Italians are part of an international ‘train goon’ gang. The arrested persons were in denial mode during the interrogation. “We questioned them for around eight hours but they refused to divulge anything about the ‘train goon’ gang. However, their acts were similar to the infamous gang. They claimed that it was for fun that they are travelling across the globe and making such graffiti. They were only expecting petty cases for such offences and never thought of spending time in jail. They were not cooperating with us. They did not cooperate with Gujarat Crime Branch and Mumbai police,” an officer said.
The police admitted that CCTV footage of the accused received from Muttom Metro Yard was vague. “The video lacked clarity. Only three persons making a swift movement can be seen. Even the colours of the clothes worn by them could not be seen. But we will keep the probe on. We are investigating all possibilities,” the officer said.