US-based technology giant Google’s Street View service serves millions of users today. People who wish can access places they have never been to, and those who wish can access places they left years ago through Street View. However, a new feature of Google Street View has also emerged. Law enforcement officers managed to catch a mafia boss who has been on the run for 20 years through this practice.

The Italian mafia boss named Gioacchino Gammino escaped from the prison in Rome in 2002 and managed to lose his track. The law enforcement officers in Sicily thought that Gammino went to Spain and changed his identity there and continued his life. Turns out this thought was correct. The Italian police, who came across an image on Google Street View and suspected that this image was a fugitive mafia boss, were right in their suspicions.

Changed name and started working in a restaurant

Italian police took action after the image was detected near a restaurant called Cocina de Manu. Concentrating their investigations on the social media accounts of this restaurant, the law enforcement officers realized that the mafia boss, who has been on the run for 20 years, started working in this restaurant and changed his name to Manuel. Contacting the Spanish authorities, Italy managed to capture Gioacchino Gammino in a joint operation.

The first statement given by the mafia boss has also been reached. Expressing that the man, who has been on the run for 20 years, was astonished, the authorities stated that his first sentence was “How did you find me? I haven’t even called my family for 10 years.” Making a statement on the subject, Francesco Lo Voi said, “We do not Google for days to catch criminals. There were different evidences that took us to Spain and Google Street View made us understand that we were on the right track.” Italy and Spain continue to work for the extradition of the mafia boss who has been on the run for 20 years.