(2 of 2)
Sacks of Lire. Then, carefully following the kidnapers' instructions, Chase, in a rented car, headed south on the autostrada toward Naples. Just after passing Lagonegro, south of Naples, members of the gang pulled up alongside in a Citroën and pelted Chase's car with pebbles while the men inside rubbed their fingers together as a signal for money. Chase got the message and pulled over to the side. While he was handing over the sacks of lire, a car driven by a Rome detective with a pretty blonde policewoman at his side halted near by. Pretending to be tourists taking pictures, they managed to get a close look at the suspected kidnapers. Once back in Rome, the police identified the Calabrians and then shadowed them for a month before making the arrests. Young Getty, on an Austrian ski vacation with his mother, volunteered to fly to Rome to identify the suspects. Police are still seeking Saverio Mammoliti, who they think is "very close to the brain, or rather brains, behind the plot."
Getty's was the most spectacular kidnaping involving the rich or their offspring in Italy last year—but hardly the only one. In 1973 there were 16 major kidnapings for ransom in Italy. Late last week Student Pier Giorgio Bolis, 17, of Bergamo was abducted; his wealthy industrialist father has duly received a telephone call to negotiate a ransom.