The Halton Regional Police have arrested and laid charges against one male and one female in relation to a series of purse thefts in the City of Burlington and Town of Oakville.
Between August and October of 2020, these thieves targeted older adult females shopping in grocery stores and retail spaces. These thieves waited for the victims to lose sight of their purses then proceeded to steal them before fleeing the scene.
In two of the incidents, thieves attempted to use the stolen credit cards for cash withdrawals at local banks. The estimated loss is projected to be over $10,000 including purses, cash, cell phones, key fobs and personal items.
Investigation by the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau led to the charges against two individuals.
The first individual, a 39 year old female from Brampton, is charged with:
- Theft Under $5,000 (7 counts)
- Fraud Under $5,000 (2 counts)
- Use of Disguise with Intent
- Breach of Probation
The second individual, a 39 year old male from Brampton, is charged with:
- Theft Under $5,000 (4 counts)
- Fraud Under $5,000
- Fail to Comply with Release Order
On Friday, December 4, 2020, Investigators from Burlington and Oakville executed a search warrant at a residence in the City of Brampton. As a result the following items were seized:
- 12 Purses
- Various Items of Clothing used to Disguise
- Various perfumes
- 2 Cellular Telephones
- $700.00 in Canadian, American and European Currency
Both suspects were held for a bail hearing. Coincidentally, this is the second case of purse thieves from Brampton targeting Oakville residents; an unrelated case was first reported by Oakville News back in August.
The public is reminded to reduce their risk when shopping and only bring your driver's licence, health card and a few financial cards. Protect your personal identification number at all times and use TAP whenever possible. Don't let your belongings out of sight and become distracted while shopping.
Any fraudulent activity on your financial cards should be reported immediately to your bank and to police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Constable Derek Gray of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Older Adult Abuse Investigator at 905-825-4747 ext. 2344.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. "See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers" at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
Additional reporting on this story was done by Tyler Collins.
PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE
Please note that persons charged are considered innocent and can only be proven guilty by a court of law.
Due to the presumption of innocence, Oakville News does not publish the name(s) of suspect(s). Halton Regional Police Service does typically post suspect(s) name(s) on their website.