British pensioner, 82, has £7,000 Rolex stripped off her wrist by balaclava-wearing robber in Italy

A British pensioner had her £7,000 Rolex stripped off her wrist by a balaclava-clad robber while holidaying in Italy, according to local media.

The tourist, 82, was walking in Naples with her husband when the thief grabbed her arm and ripped the watch off her.

The robbery took place around noon on the via Cesario Console near the seafront, Quotidiano Nazionale reports.

Despite a passerby attempting to intercept the thief as he ran away, he was able to make off with the pricey Rolex Oyster.

The robber reportedly jumped on a moped driven by a getaway driver to evade capture. 

A British tourist, 82, was walking in Naples with her husband when a thief grabbed her arm and ripped her Rolex off her (stock image)

The Carabinieri of the Chiaia station are now investigating the incident and the victim is said to have been unharmed.

The grab is just one of a string of thefts targeting foreign tourists in the popular coastal city, with another pensioner also robbed there yesterday. 

After the incident involving the unnamed British couple, a 73-year-old Serbian woman had her shoulder bag ripped off her in the city centre.

The culprit, a young man, grabbed the bag from her in the Piazza Municipio and immediately fled.

Luckily in this case an officer on a motorcycle saw the incident and set off in pursuit of the man.

The 23-year-old was caught and the pensioner’s bag returned to her. 

Tourists have also fallen victim to watch thiefs in the northern city of Milan, which is popular with UK travellers. 

In the city last August, a 42-year-old British tourist had his £9,227 Rolex lifted off his wrist after he joined a dance in the street with three boys.

Milan is a popular holiday destination for British tourists, but pickpockets frequent the streets

On the streets of Porta Nuova, a hub of clubs and other nightlife venues, three boys reportedly of North African origin approached the tourist on Sunday, offering him illegal drugs.

The tourist refused, but then inexplicably ended up dancing with the three boys, in what Milano Today described as a form of ballet.

After the dance was over, the tourist realised his watch was missing. He quickly contacted the police and reported the theft. 

In early July 2022, another thief stole a £59,000 watch from a man in central Milan.