Susteren – One of the two suspects who managed to enter the home of an 86-year-old victim last Tuesday using a chat trick and was arrested red-handed, will be brought to trial on Friday. This concerns a 60-year-old man, without a permanent place of residence. The 26-year-old female suspect, also without a fixed abode, is still in custody.
Insurgency
On Tuesday evening, January 9, around 7:00 PM, the couple manages to enter a house on Swentiboldstraat through the kitchen door with an excuse. They succeed in this with the now well-known excuse of whether they can use the toilet. At some point the resident becomes suspicious when she sees one of the suspects walking around in the living room. She knows how to get the two outside. Once the intruders have left the house, it appears that they have searched the entire house. The victim is not injured. The resident raises the alarm and can give a good description of the intruders.
A little later, witnesses saw both suspects walking around a supermarket on Wigibaldplein and called the police. They hold the suspects until the police arrive and arrest the pair. It is not yet known whether the pair also took items from the home.
Internationally wanted suspect
The investigation is in full swing. The 60-year-old suspect had been wanted for some time and was on the international wanted list. He is currently associated with several dozen cases in which the chat trick has been used to enter homes and steal items. The man has been guilty of sneaking in throughout Limburg by means of a chat trick. In many cases, older people have fallen victim to his practices. The 60-year-old suspect will be brought before the examining magistrate on Friday.
Citizen participation
The Susteren police officers have full praise for the witnesses who responded adequately and managed to track down the pair. ‘This is a wonderful result that shows that all the energy we have put into the ‘citizen participation’ project recently has not been in vain. The citizens are our eyes and ears in the neighborhood. We desperately need attention and cooperation with our residents to prevent crimes. “I am proud of the people who took responsibility on Tuesday and took action to track down the suspects and hand them over to us.”
What is a chat trick
Chatter tricks are excuses that scammers use to try to rob people. The scammers often look trustworthy. They come to the door or approach people on the street with a nice excuse. They then steal money and other valuables. In some cases this happens in combination with threats and/or violence. Thieves sometimes also pose as meter readers or repairmen. Or, for example, they say that they are from the bank or from home care. They also sometimes ask for a glass of water or to go to the toilet, while an accomplice sneaks into the house. After committing the crime, the suspects often leave the house inconspicuously, after which they meet again at a later time.
Victim of chatter trick? Report it!
Are you the victim of a chat trick and the perpetrator has disappeared? Then call the police on 0900-8844. If the perpetrator is still in the area, call 112.
Information source: Politie.nl
