Distraction thefts spiking in Peel, police say after woman robbed of $19K in jewelry

Peel Regional Police say distraction thefts are spiking in the region, citing a recent case involving a woman being robbed of $19,000 in jewelry as an example.

Police said in a news release Wednesday that incident happened on July 28. Around 6 p.m. that day, a woman was walking in the area of Chinguacousy Road and Sandalwood Parkway West when she was approached by two women in a white SUV.

One of the women exited the vehicle, touched the victim’s feet and hugged her. During the interaction, the suspect switched the victim’s gold necklace with a metal necklace and removed three gold...