Jan 15, 2009 9:28 am US/Eastern
Brazen Thieves Steal Rings Right Off Your Finger
Thieves Use Lubricants To Take Rings From People's Fingers
Police Want You To Be On Alert
If you have any tips for police in Miami-Dade Call Crimestoppers: 305-471-TIPS. In Broward call: 954-493-TIPS.
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
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Thieves use lubricants to steal rings off women's fingers
CBS
In broad daylight on South Florida streets, thieves are using a Vaseline-like lubricant to steal expensive rings off women's fingers, in particular, elderly women.
"He was so nice; he came running over saying 'boy am I glad you're back, we've been looking all over for you,'" said one woman who didn't want to be identified by
CBS4 News. She says he claimed to be a maintenance worker at her condominium complex. Once inside, he worked fast.
"He bumped into me, and he dropped the acid all over my arm, and said 'Oh! Oh! I'm so sorry, so sorry, rinse it off with water and soap, and take your rings off.'"
However, it wasn't acid he spilled, just water, but in the process he took her 6 karat diamond ring off of her, and in seconds he and the ring were gone.
Ft. Lauderdale Police detective William De Jesus says these crimes usually begin inside a grocery store. The robber cruises a Publix supermarket looking at the jewelry these women are wearing before picking his target. He describes these crooks as "crafty."
"They're inside the Publix, actually walking around, pretending that they're customers. What they're actually doing is walking past elderly females and looking at their hands," explained detective De Jesus.
Helen Artim had her diamond ring taken too. Detective De Jesus has surveillance video from her case that shows Helen leaving a Publix, unaware that a thief was following her. Suddenly, he bumps her car. When she got out to investigate; he grabbed her hand and covered it in grease, wrestled her to the ground, broke her leg and slid her 30-thousand dollar ring right off her hand.
There are victims from Palm Beach to Miami, and police say it's likely to be several thieves with plenty of experience. Detective De Jesus says "they're not amateurs. They know their targets. They know what they need to do."
If you have any tips for police in Miami-Dade, call Crime Stoppers at (
305) 471-TIPS, in Broward call
(954) 493-TIPS.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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