Mechelen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A French couple received arrest orders from the investigating judge during investigations of multiple jewel thefts in Mechelen. A man with a woman stranded on the road stopped people to obtain directions for their vehicle.
The Belgian police arrested a French couple operating in Mechelen for stealing jewellery through deception from various victims, including a 74-year-old woman. A 24-year-old woman, together with a 27-year-old man, stopped passing individuals alongside their car to request route directions. To thank their victims, the suspects provided worthless, false jewellery but simultaneously stole genuine jewellery while their victims were distracted. Tip-off investigators located the vehicle through which police detected and searched the couple in Ghent.
This incident started when the couple encountered a passerby on Liersesteenweg in Mechelen to seek directions. When the woman tried to give him a fake ring of appreciation as thanks, he noticed its authenticity, which led him to call the police. The public prosecutor and authorities jointly alerted law enforcement about the vehicle, which belonged to the couple. The incident occurred immediately afterwards when a 74-year-old lady on Koningin Astridlaan became a victim of this scam.
While showing her the route to a hospital, the couple stole her real gold chain through their ruse of placing a fake chain around her neck.
Police detected the car that contained stolen and fake jewellery as they searched in Ghent and made an arrest of the two suspects who possessed both items of property. Judge authorities at Mechelen received the suspects on Monday before making their arrest.
What is the history of jewel thefts using distraction tactics?
European reports show a growing trend of jewel thefts through distraction methods, which include fake jewelry trades, particularly impacting elderly persons. The number of such crimes has increased across Belgium during the past few years, while thieves employ comparable techniques for stealing valuables. Europol reports that distraction thefts form a major part of typical urban crimes, and elderly people are more susceptible because they are viewed as dependable.
The Belgian police force documented 500 distraction-theft cases throughout 2022, which marked a 15% increase from 2021. The Belgian city of Mechelen, along with its significant elderly demographic, is witnessing an increase in such crimes, so local authorities decided to publish public alerts. The arrested French couple employed criminal tactics that show similarities to organized criminal activity patterns in neighbouring countries such as France and the Netherlands.
