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Deaths mount in Italian mafia turf wars

MELITO, Italy, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Italian police say they believe the recent deaths of five people may be related to turf wars between rival Camorra mafia clans in Naples.

Patrizio Serrao, 52, was killed Tuesday in Melito, Italian news agency ANSA reported Thursday. His body was found in the same area where two bodies were discovered in a burnt-out car left near a cemetery Sunday.

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The bodies, which have not been identified, were found in November in a car reported stolen from the Afragola area of Naples. Police believe the two victims were killed elsewhere before being burned, ANSA reported.

Investigators are looking into the possibility the three deaths are related to the death of Rosario Tripicchio, who was killed Jan. 5 in Giugliano.

In a separate incident, Pietro Moscato, 23, a suspected affiliate of the Casalesi clan who was reported missing Dec. 16, was found hog-tied at the bottom of a lake north of Naples. Police said the killing may have been "a message" sent between factions of the clan, which is undergoing a power struggle after the arrest of alleged boss Michele Zagaria.

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