Conman burgles elderly victim's home in Luton after posing as council officer

At around 12pm on Tuesday, October 13, a man knocked on a door in Brays Road, under the pretence he was from the council.

He briefly showed an identification card and told the victim that he needed to check the windows of the property.

The thief went upstairs for a short while and when he left the property, before the victim realised an amount of cash was missing from the bedroom.

The offender is described as white, around 5’ 10”, medium build and in his mid-30s. He had light coloured, short hair and was clean shaven.

He was wearing a grey anorak, grey suit trousers and had a blue medical style face mask.

Detective Constable Ian Williams said: “This is a truly distressing crime that has exploited the vulnerability of an elderly victim.

"Not only has the offender stolen cash from the property, he has invaded the victim’s privacy and done so by deceiving them. If you have any information that could assist with our enquiries, please get in touch.”

Residents are reminded to be cautious when receiving an unexpected visitor, even if they are claiming to be from a trusted organisation.

A genuine caller won’t mind returning at a more suitable time, if a resident wishes for a trusted person to be with them during the visit. If the caller appears suspicious, always alert the police on 101 or call 999 in an emergency.

More information on bogus callers on the force’s website: https://www.bedfordshire.police.uk/A-Z/Bogus-callers.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact Beds Police on https://www.bedfordshire.police.uk/report/Report or call 101 quoting reference 40/55772/20.