ROME: An Italian man has admitted strangling his sister, chopping her body into parts and dumping them in communal bins in an upmarket area of Rome, Italian media reported Wednesday.

The man, identified as Maurizio Diotallevi, 62, confessed to the grisly crime after 10 hours of interrogation over the death of his sister, Nicoletta, 59, the Corriere della Sera newspaper and other outlets reported, citing police sources.

The two shared a flat and are believed to have quarrelled over money.

Police were alerted to the killing after the legs of the woman, severed at the groin, were discovered Tuesday night by a young woman who was rummaging through bins in Parioli, one of Rome's swankiest neighbourhoods.

On Wednesday, the head and chest of the victim were extracted from another bin, near the flat where the brother and sister lived.

Diotallevi was taken into custody after police examined CCTV footage that showed him dumping something into the bin where the legs were discovered.

Neighbours express astonishment that Diotallevi could have committed such a brutal crime.

A local bar owner told the Sky TG24 news channel, "He was a regular customer, you'd see him out walking his little dog, he seemed such a placid man."

COVER IMAGE: Italian police officers conduct a security check in a central street of Rome. AFP/Andreas Solaro/Files