A woman was targeted by a pair of sneak thieves in a City Centre parking lot in broad daylight on Tuesday.
According to the Richmond RCMP, shortly after 5:30 pm on Oct. 11, the 55-year-old was sitting in her car in the parking lot of Richmond Centre when she was allegedly approached by a man.
The suspect allegedly told her that something was wrong with her car and, as she got out of her vehicle to check along with the man, a second suspect is believed to have snuck into her car through the open driver’s side door and removed her purse.
The two suspects then fled on foot to an awaiting gray/silver car, possibly a Toyota, with gold coloured wheels.
One of the suspects is described as possibly being Hispanic, 20 to 30-years-old, of medium build, perhaps wearing a red hat and a red jacket. The second suspect was wearing all black.
“The bright clothing worn by (one of the suspects) and the dark clothing worn by (the other suspect) does not appear to be coincidental,” said Richmond RCMP’s Cpl. Dennis Hwang.
“We are treating it as an organized distraction theft and we are reaching out to other law enforcement agencies who may have encountered similar crimes to share intelligence.”
The Richmond RCMP has a number of tips to better protect oneself from this type of theft:
* If someone does approach you stating that something is amiss with your car, politely thank them and wait;
* If you are exiting the car, remove your vehicle keys, and lock your vehicle before checking any reports of damage;
* When leaving a bank, financial institution, or ATM, be cognizant of your surroundings, especially if you have withdrawn large amounts of currency;
* If possible, keep your purse/valuables in your trunk.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Const. Wilkinson, of the Richmond RCMP, at 604-278-1212, by email at [email protected] or anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
