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Peel police are investigating the July 28 theft of about 110 grams of gold jewelry, valued at roughly $20,000, from a 78-year-old Brampton woman during her evening walk. Investigators have identified a white Chevrolet Equinox as a vehicle of interest.
Police in Brampton are investigating the alleged robbery of a 78-year-old woman who had about $20,000 worth of jewelry taken during her evening walk earlier this year.
The theft happened just before 6 p.m. on July 28 on a residential street near Chinguacousy Road and Bovaird Drive West. The woman's son, Raghavendra Kumar, did not contact CTV News until last week. He came forward after Toronto police released footage of a similar incident involving a suspect he says resembles the woman who stole from his mother.
Police Investigate Brampton Jewelry Theft
In an email to CTV News, Peel police said they are aware of the separate Toronto jewelry theft in June involving a fake gold chain and a similar looking vehicle. Police said there is currently no evidence to confirm the two cases are related. The Brampton theft remains under investigation. Police told CTV News they have identified a white Chevrolet Equinox as a vehicle of interest.
Surveillance video provided to CTV News appears to show an elderly woman walking on a sidewalk when an SUV stops beside her. Kumar said his mother, who does not speak English well, initially believed the woman who approached her was a neighbor. He said the woman bent down and touched his mother's feet before hugging her in an attempt to gain trust. For about 10 seconds, she was completely believing and trusting of that female, Kumar said.
He said the woman then placed a fake piece of jewelry around his mother's neck while removing her real gold necklace. The suspects also allegedly took her gold bangles before leaving in the SUV. Police have told CP24 that the woman depicted in the video shared by Kumar is considered a person of interest in the ongoing investigation. Kumar estimates about 110 grams of jewelry worth roughly $20,000 in raw metal value were stolen.
Theft's Emotional Toll for Family
He said the jewelry carried far more than monetary value for his mother. That jewelry is more emotional, he said. My father passed away around 2008. The jewelry was gifted by my father when they got married in 1971.
Kumar explained his father was a goldsmith who made the jewelry for his mother. When she realized what had happened, Kumar said she was shivering and that she could not walk. He said his mother eventually made it home but could not speak for a span of 30 minutes. When she rang the bell, I was tensed because she is already a heart patient, Kumar said.
I was more worried about her health. I was least worried about the jewelry at that moment. Kumar said he collected CCTV footage from several homes in the neighborhood and provided it to Peel police and CP24. While the white Chevrolet Equinox has been identified as a vehicle of interest, police have not provided a description of any suspects they are looking for at this time.
Peel Regional Police are currently investigating the July 28 incident and have reviewed the CCTV footage provided by Mr. Kumar, police said in a statement. Kumar said he has followed up with police every few weeks but has not received a significant update. He added that his mother has stopped taking her usual walks. She looks forward to summers for evening walks, Kumar said, describing how his mother would walk around the crescent and frequently chat with neighbors.
She is completely low. She has stopped going for walks outside, he said. She now walks only in the backyard. Kumar first reached out after seeing a recent story about a similar jewelry theft under investigation by Toronto police.
Similar Toronto Jewelry Robbery
In that June 26 incident, police allege a woman approached a victim near Ellesmere Road and Midland Avenue and asked for directions. A man then allegedly drove up and also asked for directions. Police say the woman got out, also placed a fake gold chain around the victim's neck and allegedly removed the victim's personal chain.
Toronto police have identified Andreea Ispas, 23, as wanted for robbery in that case after she allegedly stole a gold chain off a victim and replaced it with a fake before fleeing the scene. The incident is just the latest in a series of distraction-style thefts that have made headlines across the Greater Toronto Area this year. For Kumar, the incident has left his family trying to make sense of what happened in a neighborhood they had always considered safe.
Everyone in the family was shocked because we never expected that can happen in our neighborhood for an elderly person, he said. Peel police are asking anyone with information about the Brampton incident to contact 22 Division CIB investigators at 905-453-2121 x2233.
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CP24:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Brampton Jewelry Theft Peel Police Raghavendra Kumar Toronto Police Distraction Theft Chevrolet Equinox Brampton Jewelry Theft Peel Regional Police White Chevrolet Equinox
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