A elderly woman in Whalley was mugged with a hug on Wednesday afternoon.
Sergeant Elenore Sturko said the victim was outside her home in the 9900-block of 128th Street when at about 1:15 p.m. a silver Mercedes SUV pulled up, carry a man and a woman, and a small child in the back seat.
“The woman inside the vehicle stated it was her birthday and asked for a hug,” Sturko said. “When the elderly woman complied with the request she had her personal jewelry stolen.”
A home security camera captured a photo of the SUV and police are asking the public for help to identify suspects. The driver is described as a middle-aged South Asian man and the woman alleged to have grabbed the victim’s jewelry is described as a middle-aged South Asian woman.
“A distraction theft often involves a request for close personal contact, like a hug,” Sturko noted. “The perpetrators of these types of thefts are very good at persuading victims to get close, often using tactics that make a person feel obligated to comply. It is in these moments of a casual embrace, when the thieves will take the person’s valuables and often replace them with fakes. We are recommending that individuals avoid close personal contact with people they do not know.”
Police ask anyone with information to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.comLike us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram and follow Tom on Twitter
