'Jewelry Distraction Thefts' Occurring In Montgomery County: Police

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Thieves appear to be targeting older residents of Asian or Indian descent who are wearing gold jewelry, authorities said.

Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Department's 5th District Patrol Investigations Unit are investigating a series of what they call "jewelry distraction thefts" that have occurred in the past several months.

According to the police department, during these thefts, the suspects were in a vehicle and approached the victim who was walking in the area. A woman placed imitation gold jewelry on the victims to distract them while removing the victim’s jewelry.

In many of the cases, the female suspect hugged the victim while committing the theft. In some instances, the woman remained in the vehicle and committed the theft by calling the victim to the vehicle’s window, according to a news release.

These jewelry thefts have happened in both residential areas and commercial areas during the day. Because the suspects' descriptions and those of their vehicles differ, investigators believe there are multiple suspects working together, according to a news release.

Anyone with information about these suspect(s) or this crime is asked to contact the 5th District PIU at 240-773-6263 or contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at1-866-411-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the suspects. Callers can remain anonymous.