Police Launch CCTV Appeal in Hunt for Solihull Supermarket Distraction Thief
West Midlands Police have launched a public appeal for information as they hunt a distraction thief who targeted elderly women at Sainsbury's car parks in Solihull, stealing bank cards and spending thousands of pounds.
Incidents at Two Supermarket Locations
The police investigation centers on two separate but similar incidents that occurred in late January. The first took place at the Sainsbury's supermarket car park on Stratford Road in Shirley on January 22 at approximately 11:30 AM.
According to police reports, a man approached an elderly woman in the car park and claimed she had forgotten an item in her shopping trolley. When the victim left her vehicle to check the trolley, the suspect entered her car and stole a purse containing bank cards and a mobile phone.
Second Incident in Dorridge
A nearly identical incident occurred the following day, January 23, around 12 PM at the Sainsbury's car park on Avenue Road in Dorridge. Police believe the same individual was responsible for both thefts based on the similar modus operandi.
In both cases, the stolen bank cards were subsequently used to make purchases totaling thousands of pounds and were also utilized at various ATM machines across the area.
Police Statement and Investigation
In an official statement, West Midlands Police said: "We are appealing for information as part of our investigation into incidents of distraction thefts across Solihull. We have received two reports of distraction theft in January with similar circumstances."
The statement continued: "A man approached an elderly woman on a supermarket car park and told her she had forgotten an item in her trolley. The woman then left her vehicle to go look in the trolley, whilst the man went into her car and stole a purse, bank cards and a mobile phone."
CCTV Images Released
Investigators have now released CCTV images of a man they wish to speak to in connection with the incidents. Despite carrying out multiple enquiries and reviewing surveillance footage, police have been unable to identify the individual.
No arrests have been made at this time, and police inquiries are ongoing. The crime reference number for the investigation is 20/123504/26.
How to Help the Investigation
West Midlands Police are urging anyone with information to come forward. Members of the public can contact the police through the following methods:
- Using the Live Chat function on the West Midlands Police website
- Calling 101 and quoting crime reference number 20/123504/26
Police emphasize that any information, no matter how small it may seem, could prove crucial to their investigation and help prevent further incidents of this nature in the Solihull area.
