'Gomorrah' hit man near capture, cops say

NAPLES, Italy, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- An alleged organized crime hit man popularized in a best-selling crime expose "Gomorrah" is on the verge of being caught, Italian authorities say.

Giuseppe Setola, the alleged ringleader of a squad of killers working for the Casalesi clan of Naples' Camorra is within the sights of the Italian military police, who say they've been tipped to his whereabouts by a captured Mafia mole, the news agency ANSA reported Wednesday.

Setola is a main focus of the international bestseller by author Roberto Saviano, which observers say lifted the lid on the activities of the Casalesi organized crime gang.

"We are blazing scorched earth around Setola," Naples anti-organized crime prosecutor Franco Roberti told ANSA after the arrest of Alfonso Bolognesi, a former police commander who is believed to have been a mole who reported the clan's alleged chief, Casal di Principe. "We are convinced we will catch him shortly," he said.

Other alleged mobsters are turning state's evidence on the Casalesi clan, offcials said.