Vancouver police have made arrests after a series of distraction thefts in South Vancouver.
Last week, police sent out a warning about a string of more than six of the thefts over two days.
Officers caught up with the suspects March 22. At around 3 p.m. that day an 84-year-old woman in the area of East 43rd Avenue and Lancaster Street was approached by a female suspect. The suspect immediately got into the woman’s personal space, placed an inexpensive piece of jewelry around her neck and allegedly stole her valuable necklace.
The suspect then quickly got into an awaiting vehicle and left the area. Police were called and the suspects were arrested about 25 minutes later.
“Our officers were able to quickly located the suspects with the help of information provided by witnesses,” said media relations officer Const. Jason Doucette. “Since the arrests, there have not been any similar thefts reported in Vancouver.
“Detectives are continuing their investigation to see if there are links to similar events,” he said. “We are still encouraging others to come forward if they have been victims of this scam.”
Crown counsel has approved charges of theft and possession of stolen property against 41-year-old Elena Ghiocel and 31-year-old Constanin Miclescu, who are both residents of Scarborough, Ontario. A third person was also arrested but has been released pending further investigation.
@JessicaEKerr
jkerr@vancourier.com
