Mystery bones in Italian gangster's tomb

"The disappearance of Orlandi reads like the rollercoaster plot of a Dan Brown thriller, with a touch of The Godfather thrown in for good measure.

"Twelve years ago, a skull was found in the confessional box of a Rome church and tests were carried out on it to see if it was Orlandi after a mystery tip-off, but they proved negative.

"In 2008 Sabrina Minardi, De Pedis' girlfriend at the time of Orlandi's disappearance, sensationally claimed that now-dead American monsignor Paul Marcinkus, the controversial chief of the Vatican bank, was behind the kidnap.

"Monsignor Marcinkus used his status to avoid being questioned by police in the early 1980s probing the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano, which the Vatican had invested heavily in.

"The collapse was linked to the murder of Roberto Calvi - dubbed God's banker - because of the Vatican connection, and his body was found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge in London in June 1982.

"His pockets were filled with cash and stones and it was originally recorded as a suicide, but police believe he was murdered by the Mafia after a bungled money laundering operation."

Full story here.

Hat tip: "Hagbard Celine" on Twitter (@amoebadesign) who remarks, "P2 Calvi and Marcinkus again in the press, re Mystery In Tomb Of Murdered Gangster. R.A.Wilson would love these days."