Three more suspects have been arrested in connection with an ongoing distraction theft investigation in Durham Region.
Information about the investigation, dubbed ‘Project Lucid,’ first came to light in October after police began investigating a series of distraction thefts in Durham Region and Calgary.
According to police, members of public reported similar incidents where thieves would distract citizens in a public place and steal their credit and bank cards.
Three people were subsequently arrested.
On Thursday, Durham Regional Police confirmed that three additional suspects have been arrested in connection with the investigation.
According to police, in mid-November, two suspects allegedly distracted an elderly woman while she was shopping at a store in Bowmanville and stole her debit and credit cards along with her PIN numbers. The suspects, police allege, then used the stolen cards to make purchases at stores in Oshawa and Bowmanville.
Two people, identified as Liliana Cucos, 49, and Constantin Stingaciu, 32, were arrested on Dec. 11.
A third suspect, identified as Catalin Borcoi, 40, was taken into custody on Jan. 20, 2020.
Catalin, police say, is also accused of stealing cards and PIN numbers from an elderly woman in Pickering.
All three have been charged with theft of a credit card, possession of identity information, fraud under $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime, and identity fraud.
Anyone with additional information about the investigation can contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
