MAFIA MADE MILLIONS FROM FAKE CAR CRASHES

A section of the Mafia in Calabria, southern Italy, is reported to have made millions of euros from insurance claims relating to fake car crashes, reports Reuters. Rodolfo Ruperti, head of the police squad that carried out an investigation that saw 70 people sought for arrest in dawn raids on Friday, said that insurance fraud was used to gain cash for guns and drugs. Doctors, lawyers and car repairers were reported to have been in on the fraud, which was said to have generated earnings of at least €1m ($1.3m) a year. Reuters reported that the defrauded insurer was a local branch of Zurich Insurance Group. The group said that it did not comment on ongoing investigations and criminal proceedings.