Two men posing as building staff rob 89-year-old woman in Marousi of cash and gold
Two men who told an 89-year-old woman they were building management staff entered her first-floor flat in Marousi on Tuesday, 13 October, and smashed open a hidden wall cache. Reports differ on the value taken, with cash of 20,000 euros common to all of them.
How the visit unfolded
According to the Hellenic Police (ELAS), at around noon on Tuesday, 13 October, unidentified men rang the doorbell of an 89-year-old woman's first-floor flat in an apartment block in Marousi. Presenting themselves as employees of a building management company, they gained her trust and got inside. Once in the flat, they persuaded her to show them where she kept her valuables, and she revealed a specially built hiding place set into a wall of the home. The men then smashed part of the wall with a sledgehammer, took what was inside and left the scene in an unknown direction.
- Two men ring the bell, pose as building management staff and get inside the flat
- A hidden wall stash is smashed open with a sledgehammer and cash, gold and jewellery are taken before the men leave
- Greek outlets report the case; the Security police investigation continues with CCTV footage being collected
What was taken
Reports agree that 20,000 euros in cash was taken. The gold and jewellery are described differently from one outlet to the next. To Vima says the men took 10 gold sovereigns and 45 valuable items, and puts the total haul above 220,000 euros. NewsIT puts the haul above 200,000 euros. NEWS 24/7 reports at least 20 gold sovereigns of considerable value, along with items of unknown worth. Iefimerida, citing information rather than an official source, gives another breakdown: 40 five-sovereign coins worth close to 200,000 euros together, and between 10 and 20 sovereigns. These figures do not match, so the value of the gold and jewellery remains unconfirmed.
Police investigation
The reports say the Security police (Asfaleia) are leading the inquiry. Investigators are gathering footage from security cameras on nearby buildings to trace the two men. The 89-year-old woman has given a statement to officers, describing the events and the appearance of the men. The men left in an unknown direction, and none of the reports describe an arrest. Police have not, according to the articles, named any suspect.
A method police warn about
The case brings back a well-known method in which impostors pose as utility workers, technicians or building managers to get into people's homes. The Hellenic Police urge the public, and older people in particular, to be cautious. NEWS 24/7 reports that the men reportedly claimed a large, unsettled building debt to win the woman's trust, a detail that appears in that outlet alone. Several outlets also say the men were after savings the woman had kept hidden in her home.