Daring attempt to steal F1 legend Enzo Ferrari’s body from his grave foiled
Enzo Ferrari had died in 1988 at the age of 90 after a life dedicated to motorsport during which he conceptualised and founded the Ferrari company in 1939.
Italian law enforcement recently foiled a local mafia gang’s plan to exhume and steal the body of Formula One pioneer Enzo Ferrari.
The criminal unit known as Anonima Sequestri had planned to steal the body and hide it in the Apennine Mountains of the Italian Peninsula with a view to demand ransom from the Ferrari family or company in exchange for the proper return of the body.
Enzo Ferrari had died in 1988 at the age of 90 after a life dedicated to motorsport during which he conceptualised and founded the Ferrari company in 1939.
He was laid to rest in an above-ground tomb in the San Cataldo cemetery of Modena which is located a few kilometres away from the headquarters of the Ferrari company.
The mafia gang is known to kidnap living people and demand ransoms for their release.
According to reports, they had surveyed the tomb and cemetery which contain the body of Enzo Ferrari, and had also made arrangements of two cars and a van to steal the body and transport it to the mountains where it would be held until the ransom was met.
The gang, which is massive and mainly based in the Italian region of Sardinia but has operations in Emilia, Lombardy, Veneto and Tuscany, is also known to be involved in illegal drug and gun smuggling activities.
Law enforcement officers stumbled upon the plan to steal the body of the Formula One great while investigating a drug-related case.
Upon discover of the plot, a combination of paramilitary troops and local police officers — amounting to a taskforce of 300 law enforcement officers — conducted raids during which they arrested 34 personnel of the gang to foil the grave-robbing plan.