POLICE are hunting callous crooks who stole from the homes of pensioners in Rubery, Northfield and Frankley on three successive days.
On each occasion they claimed to be undercover police officers before making off with purses, cash and jewellery.
Officers have now released CCTV footage and images of two men as they made their escape from a property in Frankley Beeches Road, Northfield about 4pm on Wednesday (September 21).
In that theft they walked in through the front door and pocketed valuables before being disturbed by a man pulling onto the driveway in his car.
The day before – Tuesday, September 20 – two men, one with a small child, stole a purse from a 90-year-old woman in Loynells Road, Rubery, after being let inside.
And just before midnight on Thursday (Sept 22) two men broke into the home of a 76-year-old woman, who suffers with dementia and claimed to be officers investigating a fraud.
Det Con David Cockbill, from South Birmingham Police’s specialist burglary team, said: “The latest offence was particularly brazen – the men gained entry via an insecure rear door and told the woman they needed to seize her bank cards.
After she told them she did not know her bank details, they called her son on his mobile phone in a bid to persuade him to disclose the PINs. Luckily he did not fall for the trick and call the police but the raiders fled with the victim’s purse.
DC Cockbill added: “These are truly despicable offences. It seems elderly, vulnerable people are being deliberately targeted. We cannot say definitively that these offences are linked but we are not ruling out the possibility.”
He added officers had good quality CCTV footage showing the man responsible for the Northfield burglary.
“Someone will know who these men are; they are cruel thieves and do not deserve protection.
“I would urge anyone who suspects they know these men, have seen them, or have information about these offences to call me as soon as possible before any other elderly people suffer at their hands.”
Anyone with any information should call DC Cockbill at South Birmingham Police on the 101 number, or the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Towards the end of August, West Mercia Police issued a warning after three distraction burglaries in Rubery in the space of a week. Click here to read that story.
