A ‘Good Samaritan’ initially knocked on Paramji Kaur’s window to tell her she’d ‘dropped cash on the floor’, so she stepped outside and told him that it wasn’t her money – but it was a trap
A mum passed out in shock after losing £25,000 worth of gold in a matter of seconds when a pair of thieves robbed her using a distraction con.
Paramji Kaur, 45, was in the car park of Southall Metro Bank at lunchtime on April 2 when someone knocked on the driver’s window. He told the mum that she had “dropped cash on the floor”. While she was telling him it wasn’t hers, another man opened the front passenger door and swiped her handbag, where she was keeping her expensive jewellery. She had been at the bank to collect the items, which had been kept inside a safety deposit box.
The Southall mum has suffered with mental and physical health conditions as a results. Paramjit, a senior catering manager at a school in West London, says she’s now too afraid to even leave her home. She recalled how the incident was “all over in seconds” and at first, she didn’t realise. An employee at the bank saw what was happening and cried out: “Somebody has taken your bag”.
In what seemed like a professional job, the thieves hopped into a getaway van immediately after and fled before anyone could intervene. Paramjit said: “I was crying so much the lady at the bank took me inside. I had all of my jewellery in that bag. My blood pressure then began to soar, and when the staff tried to talk to me I was so upset and overwhelmed that I couldn’t even say my name. I was crying so much.”
Ten minutes later the police arrived and asked questions about the theft, but Paramjit collapsed shortly after this because of her rising blood pressure. “When I got home I sat down and cried until 9pm that night,” she told MyLondon. “Now when I go outside I feel I can’t trust anyone. I’m scared that anyone could be a thief. I don’t want to leave the house but I have to go to work. I just can’t take it. I keep saying ‘why is this happening to me?’ My GP has prescribed me tablets because the stress has made my blood pressure go really high.”
The cost of the gold comes to about £25,000, while lots of it has sentimental value as it has also belonged to other family members in the past. As well as the jewellery, family pictures were in the handbag along with the deposit box key which will cost about £350 to replace. The Southall mum claims Metropolitan Police has not done enough to properly investigate the crime. She told MyLondon no prints were taken from the dummy cash or the passenger side door after the theft.
DI Tony Smith, who has responsibility for investigating serious crime in Ealing borough, said: “This was a terrifying experience for the victim which has understandably left her anxious and frightened. We are pursuing a number of significant lines of enquiry and are determined to do everything we can to identify the two men responsible. Theft is a highly distressing crime and the loss of not only valuable but often hugely sentimental items can have a devastating impact on victims.”
Metro Bank reportedly told Paramjit the crime is not their responsibility because it did not happen on their premises. However, she claims security in the car park makes customers vulnerable as thieves can park off site, with a direct view of the car park and who walks in and out of the bank.
Additionally, she says the glass exterior and use of glass transparent screens within the bank means other customers are able to see when customers walk into the vault to access their safe deposit boxes. These facilities are commonly used by members of the South Asian community to store valuable jewellery.
Responding to this, Metro Bank says when a customers wishes to access their safe deposit box, they use a private viewing locked from the inside. Additionally, it says no one can view what the customer is doing with their box and its contents.
A spokesperson said: “We are sorry that Paramjit Kaur was the victim of a crime after leaving the Southall Metro Bank store. As a bank we always take the security and safety of our colleagues and our customers seriously and have robust measures in place. When a customer wishes to access their safe deposit box, they do so in the privacy of a viewing room. We are liaising with law enforcement locally on their investigation into this case.”
Metropoltian Police has asked anyone with information to call 101 quoting CAD 3732/2April. The family have launched a fundraiser page following the incident. Click here to view the page.
