Woman In Her 90s Is Victim Of Evesham Burglary
Police in Evesham are urging residents not to keep large amounts of cash in their homes following a distraction burglary in the town.
The victim - a woman in her late 90s - had £700 stolen from her home after a man claiming to be from the ‘water board' visited her on Saturday, 9 June.
The man arrived at the property on Bewdley Street some time between 8am and 2pm and told the woman that he had come to check the water.
He told the elderly victim to go upstairs and turn on all the taps while he stayed in the living room. After around five minutes, the woman returned to the living room, where she was told that everything was fine before the man then left.
Following the man's visit, it was discovered that an envelope containing cash had been stolen from a cupboard and money had been removed from the victim's purse.
Detective Inspector Richard Rees from Worcester CID said: "Last week we appealed for people to look out for their elderly neighbours and to call us if they spot anyone they suspect of being a bogus official in their area.
"Not only would I like to reiterate that appeal, but I would also ask that if you do have any elderly friends or relatives who are inclined to keep large amounts of cash in their house, that you discourage them from doing so.
"Distraction burglaries like these - where offenders target the elderly and deceive them in order to get into their homes - are truly despicable crimes. We take them extremely seriously and we will do all we can to bring those responsible to justice.
"Our suspect in this latest case in Evesham is described as a thin, tall, white man who was wearing some sort of uniform which had a logo on the left of the chest.
"I would appeal to anyone who saw a man matching this description in the area of Bewdley Street on the day of the burglary to contact us."
Anyone with information about this incident can call Det Insp Rees on 0300 333 3000, quoting 292S 100612 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
West Mercia Police's ‘Knock Knock' campaign aims to raise awareness about the security measures people should take before they let any strangers into their home.
For further information about preventing distraction burglaries and the Knock Knock campaign, please visit the force website at http://www.westmercia.police.uk/.
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