Fake police steal €450k of gold bars

A PAIR of bogus police officers talked their way into a pensioner’s home in Romainville, Seine-Saint-Denis, and stole gold bars worth an estimated €450,000, police have said.

The criminals told their 69-year-old victim that they were investigating a theft in the area, and asked if he had any gold in his property. When he showed them his cache of 13 bars in the basement of his house, one of them distracted him while the other stole the 1kg ingots.

Despite their value, the bars were not stored in a safe or protected in any way, police said.

The criminals did not assault the pensioner, but detectives said that they had carefully targeted their victim and must have been aware of the valuable contents in his property. They believe that the conmen had planned their crime carefully.

Almost exactly a year ago, two similar distraction crimes involving pensioners prompted authorities to warn vulnerable members of the public to be on their guard when someone calls at their house.

They advised homeowners who were suspicious of ‘police officers’ knocking at their door to check their cards, which - like the cards of gas and water company employees - should have the reason for their visit clearly stamped on it.

Homeowners are also entitled to telephone the police station to ensure the people at their door are who they claim to be. It is also possible to arrange a later appointment, even if a genuine officer visits in the case of an emergency.

They also urged vulnerable people to stay in regular contact with their neighbours, and to have a list of important numbers to hand in case a suspicious person calls.

Photo: Bullion Vault