“The first two days, it was fine but today, I have the backlash”, confides this Friday afternoon this inhabitant of Noisy-le-Grand, victim with her husband of a burglary, Wednesday morning, in their house of a residential area of the city. Obviously still very shocked, the octogenarian does not want to say more about this theft of false quality, revealed by the site News 17 and the considerable damage since it is estimated at more than two million euros.
The victim only confirms that she and her husband were not injured. The theft took place without violence, no weapon was used. The thugs proceeded by trickery, according to a scenario now well established by the followers of the genre.
An alleged water agent first came to the home of the 85 and 87-year-old couple, around 10:10 am, claiming to want to check the quality of the water. The retirees therefore opened their doors to him without being suspicious. After his alleged checks, the man left, taking along some belongings from the owners without their knowledge.
It is not known if the thieves knew the riches of their victims
A few moments later, two other people, this time usurping the status of police officers, presented themselves at the entrance of the house. The bogus officials told this couple of former traders that they had just arrested a thief posing as a water agent, the first stolen business being used to back up their words.
The bogus police officers obviously asked to verify that other things had not been stolen from the octogenarians. This is how the property’s safe was opened to them, with a substantial amount of loot inside. According to our information, the two thieves – of whom we do not know if they had knowledge of the wealth of their victims – left with 42 gold bars, between 3,000 and 4,000 euros in cash and 35 Napoleon. They also took a weapon and six 22 caliber cartridges.
According to the gold prices of the day, the value of the bars alone is around 2.1 million euros. A sum to which must be added a few thousand euros corresponding to cash and coins, depending on the nominal value of the latter.
“According to the victims’ statements, the damage corresponds to this amount of two million euros,” confirms the Bobigny prosecutor’s office. Which, on the other hand, refuses to comment on the operating mode of burglars as long as “the accused have not been arrested”.
The elderly, the main victims
It was after these last left that the retirees realized the theft of which they were victims, and they called the police. The departmental service of the judicial police of Seine-Saint-Denis (SDPJ 93) was initially responsible for the investigation, before the brigade for the repression of banditry (BRB) was in turn seized of the procedure.
Robberies of this type have increased in the region in recent years. Last year, the PJ of Evry-Courcouronnes (Essonne) had notably arrested four men, alleged perpetrators of ten thefts by ruse. The damage was estimated at 100,000 euros in cash and around 300,000 euros in jewelry and gold bars. There too, the gang had targeted wealthy victims and all octogenarians.
“These facts replace the robberies which, them are in sharp decline with the airlock protected in the banks, the smoke which is triggered in the event of intrusion, the traceability of the banknotes… The criminals refer to less protected targets, the individuals. And there again, they choose the most vulnerable: the elderly, ”confided an investigator at the time.
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