The spate of distraction burglaries in Greater Manchester, highlighted by MM last week, has claimed another vulnerable victim – this time a 98-year-old woman from Bolton.
At about 2pm on Tuesday, the woman answered the door of her home in North Avenue, Farnworth, to a man who had been repeatedly knocking on the window.
He said there was a problem with her garden that needed sorting out and – due to her poor eyesight – she stared out of the window to try and work out what was the matter.
He then went into another room and stole her handbag, and all the cash inside, before leaving.
Sergeant John Nicol from the Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “This was a deliberate and callous theft from a vulnerable member of the community.
“I would like to make two appeals to local residents following this incident: firstly did anyone see someone in or around the area at the time of this incident or do they know who is responsible?
“Secondly, I want to appeal to the community to be aware of what has happened and to ensure they do not let anyone into their home who they do not know.”
The offender is described as white, of stocky build and was wearing a brown suit.
Sergeant Nicol added: “Please do not feel intimidated or pressured into letting someone into your house. If you do not know who this person is then do not let them in and if you feel threatened please call the police.”
This robbery follows on from three we revealed last week, where the victims were a 92-year-old man from Northern Moor, an 80-year-old woman in Ashton-under-Lyne and a 92-year-old woman from Greenfield.
In two of the cases, the victims answered the door to suspicious characters posing as workmen.
The other occurred when the 80-year-old woman answered the phone to a man posing as a police officer who told her he needed to collect her credit cards.
Luckily, the taxi driver who came to pick up the cards suspected something and phoned police.
The other two victims weren’t as fortunate and cash and valuables were stolen.
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