Between July and the end of October, a 57-year old man managed to trick and rob seven seniors aged 69 to 90 from Ostrava and Havířov. After the police managed to arrest him, they discovered that the thief had robbed around CZK 400,000 from his victims.
“In most cases, the accused man chose his victims in restaurants. “Only two seniors were approached on the street,” police spokeswoman Eva Michalíková said. She added that the man followed the same script in restaurants. “First, he approached the lonely men, sat down at their table and started drinking alcohol with them. Apparently, he gained their trust, for example, because they knew each other from their former jobs. Eventually, under various tricks, he made his way to his victims’ homes,” she described.
Michalíková said the thief used different stories. “But they were always linked by an offer to buy music cassettes, buy a TV set or sell a vehicle,” she outlined. For example, the man approached two of his victims on the street, even taking a ride on public transport to make contact with one of them. He gained their trust too, and they invited him home.
“At the victims’ homes, everything went the same way. First, coffee or alcohol, and finally the thief wanted to pay for the things he was supposed to buy. However, the problem was that he only had a banknote which he needed to change. So the seniors went to their hiding places and, thinking it was a good deal, they exchanged the money. However, they had no idea that the man would steal the rest of the money they had saved at an unguarded moment, “the police spokeswoman said, adding that in one case, the man stole not only money but also gold, watches, credit cards, and a mobile phone.
The man, who already has 19 criminal records, was charged by police with theft, breach of home liberty, unauthorized possession and forgery. He is currently in custody and faces up to five years in prison if convicted.