Police appealing for witnesses following Accrington distraction burglary
Elderly woman targeted by men claiming to be from the water board
Detectives are appealing for witnesses and footage following a distraction burglary in Accrington.
Officers were called shortly before 5pm on Monday (December 13) to Lemonius Street following reports a man had tricked his way into the home of a woman in her 80s by falsely claiming to work for the Water Board.
Once inside, he made an excuse to go upstairs and a second man entered the property.
When the victim challenged the second man he ran off with a quantity of cash.
The first man then took a handbag containing a quantity of cash. When the victim tried to stop him he pushed her onto the bed, before leaving the house.
The first man is described as stocky, in 30s or 40s, approximately 5ft 5ins tall, and spoke with a local accent. He was wearing dark clothing
The second man is described as around 5ft 8ins tall, in his late 20s and spoke with a local accent. He was wearing a black cloth mask.
Neither of the men were wearing identification lanyards.
No arrests have been made at this stage. Enquiries are ongoing.
DI John McNamara, of East CID, said: “This is a disgraceful and despicable crime where the victim was both deceived and assaulted.
“We have a dedicated team of officers working on this case and the victim has now been safeguarded.
“Our enquiries are very much ongoing and we are appealing for the public to come forward if they have any information which would prove useful to our investigation. We are particularly keen to hear from anybody who saw - or has CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage – of anybody matching the descriptions of the suspects in the area before or after the distraction burglary took place. The victim had returned home around 3:30pm and so it’s possible the suspects had either followed her or were waiting in the area.
“I would also like to remind people to always ask officials for identification. Genuine officials or other professions will always carry identification and they will never mind you asking them to produce it in order to prove who they are. We have stepped up patrols in the area and would advise anyone to report anything out of the ordinary to us.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact 101 quoting log 1005 of December 13, 2021.