A Brampton man is speaking out after he says thieves stole $20,000 worth of jewelry from his 78-year-old mother while she was out for an evening walk in her neighborhood.
The theft happened just before 6 p.m. on July 28 on a residential street near Chinguacousy Road and Bovaird Drive West but the man only contacted CTV News last week after police in Toronto released footage of a similar incident involving a suspect who he claims resembles the woman who stole from his mother.
In an email to CTV News, Peel police note that they are aware of the separate Toronto jewelry theft in June involving a fake gold chain and a “similar” looking vehicle but say there is currently no evidence to confirm the two are indeed related.
‘She couldn’t walk’
The Brampton theft, meanwhile, remains under investigation and police tell CTV News that they have identified a white Chevrolet Equinox as a vehicle of interest.
Surveillance videos provided to CTV News appears to show an elderly woman walking on a sidewalk when an SUV can be seen stopping beside her.
Raghavendra Kumar said his mother, who does not speak English well, initially believed the woman who approached her was a neighbour.
In an attempt to gain trust, he says the woman bent down and touched his mother’s feet before hugging her.
“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 to be 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.
But 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 couldn’t 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’s already a heart patient,” Kumar said. “I was more worried about her health. I was least worried about the jewelry at that moment.”
CCTV leads to vehicle of interest
Kumar said he collected CCTV footage from several homes in the neighbourhood 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 suspect(s) 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 adds that his mother has also 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 neighbours.
“She is completely low. She has stopped going for walks outside.”
He said she now walks only in the backyard.
Similar Toronto investigation
Kumar first reached out after seeing a recent story about a similar jewelry theft under investigation by Toronto police.
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.
The incident is just the latest in a series of distraction-style thefts that have made headlines across the GTA this year.
For Kumar, the incident has left his family trying to make sense of what happened in a neighbourhood 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.
