Domenico Antonio Mollica, 47, came out of his hiding place on Thursday when the fire service began tearing down the attic.
The Italian fugitive had been living directly under his roof since police came to his door on January 9th, in an operation which saw the arrest of suspected mafia men Placido Scriva and Domenico Morabito.
Despite being unable to locate Mollica, police were convinced he was hiding somewhere in the house and brought the fire brigade in to help find him.
The officers detected an unusual draft of air and decided to smash their way into the attic, Rai News said.
On realizing what was happening Mollica reportedly gave himself up, revealing how he came to hide away.
Access to the den was disguised by a built-in wardrobe, with a hole and a rope behind an upper panel.
Inside the attic police found a number of items including bedding and a picture of the Madonna of Polsi, a sanctuary in southern Italy notorious for an annual meeting of ‘Ndrangheta bosses.
Watch a video of Mollica’s hiding place:
Please whitelist us to continue reading.
Member comments