(ANSA) - A woman in her 80s attempted to rob a bank here Monday morning after she was refused a small loan, police sources said.
The incident took place in the city's downtown section and police later described it as "something straight out of a Pirandello story".
Wearing a broad-rimmed hat, heavy makeup and vintage fashion clothes, the woman went up to a teller and asked for a "little loan" of 2,000 or 3,000 euros to "help make ends meet".
The teller consulted with the bank manager who said a loan was possible, because she had an account at the bank, but for a much smaller sum, one that could be paid back through her
monthly pension. At this point, the woman was reported to have pulled a kitchen knife from her purse and told the teller: "You don't want to give me anything? In that case I want everything."
The bank manager tried to intervene but the woman responded by chasing him around the bank waving her knife at him. A bank customer slipped out and called police, who were also alerted by the bank's security system. The situation returned to normal with the arrival of police who brought the woman back to their station, where she explained her actions.
Apparently, she was widowed some ten years ago and although her engineer husband had left her a good pension this was no longer sufficient to maintain her apartment and the lifestyle she was accustomed to. Police were obliged to file charges against the woman but did not arrest her, despite the fact that she was caught in the act of committing a crime.
