Italian military police seized Friday two public schools in the country's southern Calabria region as part of an anti-mafia raid.

Axar.az reports that the two schools called the "State Institute of Art" and "Professional Institute for Industry and Craftsmanship", which are both located in the town of Locri, were cordoned off by the police during the operation.

A total of around 800 students were attending the schools in question, which were labeled as "totally illegal" by the police due to lacking documentation or permits.

The public prosecutor will now have to decide on the safety of the two schools to be reopened again and order necessary security checks.

Additional anti-mafia raids were also carried out on private residences and assets worth of 12 million euros were seized.

Media sources said that a total of 15 were charged, issued with arrest warrants or placed under house arrest as part of the operations, while one suspect had a prison sentence.

The suspects include some employees at local authorities of Locri and region Calabria, businessmen, and employees of private companies, which built the two schools.

Fraud, coercion, and abuse of office are among the accusations, all of which will be considered aggravated to links with organized crime groups.