One theft in Peterborough County, three in Southwestern Ontario
Nelson Zandbergen
Farmers Forum
PETERBOROUGH — A trio of bearded thieves pretended to be customers at a farmgate market while one of them broke into the farmer’s house and stole jewellery.
The ruse unfolded Sept. 25 at a farm on County Road 2 in Otonabee-South Monaghan Township, according to Peterborough County OPP.
The three men, of reported Middle Eastern descent, pulled up at the market in a dark-coloured hatchback vehicle around 4:45 p.m.
Police say a family member was inside the house, a short distance from the market, and responded to loud banging at the door. It was one of the men, who said they needed assistance at the market.
The family member left the house and found everything in order at the market, but when they attempted to return to the house, the men diverted the householder’s attention with questions. When the trio returned to their vehicle, they left the property at a high speed.
Another family member arrived home and discovered that jewellery was stolen out of a bedroom. Drawers had been left open and the contents rummaged through.
This type of scenario is known as a distraction theft. The ploy “has been around, unfortunately, for quite some time,” OPP Const. Dan Gay said, adding it was “kind of a new thing” to see it used to target a farm.
There were three similar cases in September, all in Southwestern Ontario. In a Sept. 15 incident in Oxford County two people in a black Audi SUV distracted a rural homeowner and got away with an undisclosed amount of money from inside the home. Oxford County OPP described the incident as “part of a broader, ongoing pattern of organized distraction thefts targeting vulnerable individuals across the region” and urged public vigilance.
Distraction thefts also commonly occur in busy, public areas. Again in Oxford County, between Sept. 21 and Sept. 27, suspects distracted people at an Ingersoll mini put business and stole lawn maintenance tools and other items.
In a fourth case, thieves stole a gold chain right off an elderly woman’s neck and replaced it with costume jewellery in a brazen distraction ploy in Essex County. She fell victim while walking along a road in the Town of Tecumseh on Oct. 1. She was approached by an older vehicle driven by a heavier set man in his 40s, of reported Eastern European descent with an olive complexion and strong accent. Also in the car was a young child and a teenage girl. The teen in the back seat rolled down the window, called the victim over and asked her to try on a ring for size while claiming her mother’s birthday was coming up. The girl placed the ring on the woman’s finger. She then placed a costume wrist bracelet on the woman’s arm, and finally, a cosmetic necklace around her neck while removing the real gold necklace and pendant worn by the victim.
After the switcheroo, the suspects continued sweet-talking the victim before driving away, OPP reported.
